Student Spotlight: Julian Bushelli

Julian Bushelli, Cohort of 2018

Julian Bushelli knew going into college that he was interested in studying STEM, but he’d always wanted to widen his understanding, not narrow it. Throughout his time at Eastern, Julian has taken a variety of classes that he thought sounded interesting, like a history class on the Protestant Reformation, Biblical Hebrew, and a Stagecraft and Design Theatre course. Julian’s wide-ranging interests was part of what first drew him to the Templeton Honors College; he could pursue his passion for mathematics while also engaging in discussions about Great Books that he’d always loved or always wanted to read.

Growing up both as a homeschooler and the oldest son of an Eastern Orthodox priest steeped Julian in both classical and Church tradition from a young age. Templeton, then, was a natural transition to grow in both those areas, since the curriculum of the college strives to bring together the Western, classic canon that has thrived since the time of the ancient Greeks with the flourishing Church works that developed within that canon. At Templeton Julian was able to engage with these subjects and texts with other like-minded individuals.

One of Julian’s favorite things about the Templeton Honors College is the community that it creates. Even as a commuter, Julian knows that his cohort members always have his back, and he feels like Templeton has provided him with a unique opportunity to make the kind of connections he wouldn’t have made otherwise. He admits that he never would have expected this closeness before joining Templeton, but he’s very glad that it exists. Not only the Templeton students but also the professors work together to form a community that supports each other through both the good and the bad. Events like the Matriculation Ceremony, Honors Forum on Fridays, and the Templeton Christmas Party bring people together in acts of true leisure, and Julian loves being a part of that.

Julian’s hobbies are role-playing games and swing dancing; he claims that reading is too central in his life to be called a hobby. On campus, he’s a member of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship and the assistant instructor for E.T.H.E.L.S., the swing dancing club at Eastern. He’s also learning the Viennese Waltz in his spare time. Julian hopes to be able to study abroad the fall semester of his junior year in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he’s excited to pick up some Danish and participate in the thriving swing dancing culture.

When asked what he plans to do when he graduates, Julian’s not quite sure. He loves mathematics, so he’s considering graduate programs as well as jobs in the field of higher math. Because he intends to graduate with a dual major in Mathematics and Computer Science, he has a lot of options open to him. No matter what he does, however, he knows that his time at the Templeton Honors College was influential not only in helping jumpstart his career, but truly developed him as a person with the desire to live a good life.