Julianna is a second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student at the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her B.S. in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh in 2022. During her undergraduate career, Julianna worked closely with representatives and families from UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh as a member of Pitt Dance Marathon. This organization helps to raise money to support families and provide support services such as art and music therapy and toys for use during long hospital stays! Families would often present to the group to tell their stories and express their gratitude for the hospital, which helped develop Julianna’s passion for working with this population.

Julianna has always had a passion for working with children but became especially interested in serving those with special needs during her undergraduate years when she completed certificates in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine and Public and Professional Writing. With a choice of many electives to complete these certificates, she felt drawn to take classes relating to disability history and advocacy and hopes to gain even more insight into this area through LEND!