Julia Kamatali is a computer engineering major at Ohio Northern University, but more aptly, she’s a student of life. Her interests span from international travel to table tennis, music composition to generative AI, and she’s actively exploring all of them as an ONU student.
A few of her current roles are president of ONU’s soccer club; event coordinator for ONU’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers; treasurer of ONU’s chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); and member of ONU’s Robotics Club and Asian American Student Organization.
Last summer, Julia traveled to Seoul, South Korea as an international exchange student at Hanyang University. She studied AI Basics with a Harvard researcher, exploring questions about AI’s impact on creative works. She also honed her table tennis skills under the tutelage of a South Korean table tennis Olympian.
“I’ve always been curious about the cultures and traditions of South Korea, and I wanted to experience it firsthand,” she said. “It was a great adventure, and I would do it all over again.”
Julia’s greatest academic interest is computer coding, a spark ignited by her eighth-grade teacher when she introduced her class to the basics of coding.
“I just found it really intriguing and it motivated me to study computer engineering,” she explained.
Her favorite ONU course thus far, Foundations of Design, required students to come up with an innovation that improved the lives of people with disabilities.
“My team and I designed a sensory device that allows people with Alzheimer’s to improve memory retention through audio, visual cues, and physical touch,” she said. The course ended, but she and another student continue to improve the product.
In her free time, Julia creates music compositions for the piano and other instruments. “I play piano and it’s important for me to express myself through music,” she said.
Julia appreciates that ONU provides the space for her to be multifaceted, and she values the supportive atmosphere created by both her professors and the vibrant student body.
“Honestly, the best part of my ONU experience is the friends I made along the way and the professors that go the extra mile to help their students.”