The Nonahood is bustling with talented youth and adolescents who find success in everything from academics to athletics, and often, both. Julia Francis, a 15-year-old junior at Lake Nona High School, is part of an elite group that can balance not only rigorous academics but also challenging sports and community involvement.
Julia is currently in the dual-enrollment program at Valencia College, where she is studying to become a sports medicine physician. Julia is a first-degree black belt in taekwondo, a sport she has been active in since she was six years old. She’s competed in a variety of tournaments all over the world, from New York to Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, to name a few.
In her free time, Julia teaches taekwondo to children in the local community to help them learn techniques in self defense, which allows them to help cope with bullying and become stronger. Recently, Julia was able to travel to Dublin, Ireland, to represent the United States in a taekwondo international World Championship tournament. She was there from Oct. 7-16 and worked hard to compete against intense international competitors.
The hardest part of the taekwondo experience, as described by Julia, is not the rigorous training – three times a week for up to two hours each day and sometimes more frequently if a tournament is coming up – but rather, maintaining her weight…she loves food and loves to eat. Julia explains the experience was a “true blessing, a humbling experience and a dream come true.” Her goal is one day to compete in the Olympics and bring home a gold medal to add to her collections from the tournaments she’s won over the course of her taekwondo career. “I love the techniques, and the people I have met all over the world who do what I do,” Julia says, on the topic of what she loves most about taekwondo.
Julia’s next big event will be the 2018 World Cup in Australia, where she will once again take the mat to represent the United States against international competition. Julia’s mother, Lissette, shared an inspiring post about her daughter on Facebook, expressing that she “want[s] other minority young ladies to know that everything is possible; with God first and determination, you can and will succeed.” With Julia on such an incredible path of determination and dedication, she serves as an inspiration to the community that no matter your age, circumstances, or otherwise, you can still find success.
