Leading not one, but two major clubs at Oak Park and River Forest High School is challenging enough by itself. Add rigorous academics, varsity and club softball and early commitment to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and you’ve got a day in the life of senior Julia Mattiace.
“I feel like the biggest thing with leadership, like in my two clubs, is kind of like inclusivity and making sure there is a space for everyone at OPRF,” said Mattiace.
Mattiace joined both Women in Leadership and Business Club during her freshman year at OPRF, the latter inspired by her taking financial literacy the summer prior.
“I originally actually had [Mattiace] as a student my first year teaching here in accounting and investing, and I already saw her leadership qualities,” said Cristin Lombardi, an OPRF business teacher and sponsor of Business Club. “She is such a strong student, and that’s very obvious from the first few minutes talking to her. She definitely does everything she can to help everyone who is in her orbit and sitting around her, whether that be in class or in a club.”
As a junior, after being a member of Business Club for two years, Mattiace competed in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) entrepreneurial competition. Mattiace placed fourth at the State level in Entrepreneur Team Decision Making and went to Nationals with her partner and OPRF alum Ashley Mandell and four other OPRF girls, seniors Annika Pauline, Leila Ashrafi, Sophia Lynn (Trapeze’s opinion editor) and Sophie Welch.
Her success in the competition combined with her love for business made her a standout choice for co-president of Business Club’s Executive Board alongside senior Peter Farren. “I don’t think she even sought out to try and be club president, but her leadership qualities spoke for themselves, and she was just such an obvious choice because of how seriously she takes everything she does,” said Lombardi.
In addition to Business Club, Mattiace is a dedicated Women in Leadership member. Before becoming President of Women in Leadership, Mattiace led the club as an event coordinator during her junior year. Women in Leadership works to empower women of OPRF through various fundraisers and activities centered around feminist topics including Breast Cancer Awareness Week and Women in STEM day, both of which Mattiace managed.
“[Mattiace] brings her personal style and sense of humor into the work that she does. She’s very committed and she’s very much a feminist,” said club sponsor and PSS social worker Nabiha Calcuttawala. “It is really empowering to see how she talks about…uplifting other women…It’s clear that she cares deeply about the issues.”
Between the two positions, Mattiace has learned the importance of creating a place for like-minded people to share and express themselves, while also asserting herself as a leader and managing the large clubs of 50 to 60 consistent members.
“I think that it’s very hard to appeal to a very, very wide audience, and that’s something you kind of have to correct over time or just try to care less about,” said Mattiace, “Because I want to be as inclusive as possible and expand opportunities to everyone as possible. Then if people don’t feel welcomed, you know, I feel like I failed, and so I feel like you do have to take on a lot of emotional responsibility for the well-being of everyone who’s in your circle.”
Outside of her club leadership, Mattiace also plays for OPRF Varsity Softball and travel softball with the Windmills, where she is an assistant coach for the 11U team.
Her love for softball led to her recruitment commitment to MIT, where she plans to major in finance economics, an idea inspired by both Business Club and Women in Leadership.
“Systemic oppression is kind of caused by socioeconomic discrepancies between different races, genders, classes,” said Mattiace. “I really want to incorporate my passion for equality, but also for business within finance…I want to use my education in that to help people have more equitable chances in life.”
The combination of her two major leadership positions and dedication to softball displays Mattiace’s strength as a leader. Sponsors and members of her clubs alike are impacted by the energy she brings to each meeting, as observed by both Calcuttawala and Lombardi.
“I hope she does more to encourage and be an example for other girls to go into professions that are more male-dominated,” said Lombardi. “I hope that she does have many leadership roles in her future career and personal life, because she’s a strong one, and I think it would benefit many people to be under Julia.”
Lombardi added, “Anyone who knows Julia, or has had Julia in class, or as a friend, knows what not only a great leader she is, but also just a great person.”
