JULIA Rogers
Company: EnRoute Consulting
Title: Founder
Age: 34
Favorite Part of Job: As a gap year counselor, I find it incredibly fulfilling to usher young people through the transformative experience of a gap year. These students have astonished me with their 
determination, sense of adventure, and desire to be a force of positive change in the world. Students I’ve worked with have flung themselves into every corner of the map and have learned how they can use their skills to contribute to our global community.
Most Inspiring Mentor: My parents, Richard Levine and Catherine Drake. My dad is incredibly hard-working and committed to his profession, which shaped my work ethic. My mom spent her entire career dedicated to the public good, which shaped my values and social conscience.
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: This year I took up two new hobbies: traditional archery (with a recurve bow) and embroidery. I think it’s hilarious how different those pastimes are!
What three words best describe you: Driven. Affable. Enthusiastic.
Favorite Vermont Escape: I absolutely love farmer’s markets and make a point to visit as many as I can during the summer and fall. I love Waitsfield’s for variety, but Stowe’s market is my favorite since I love plopping down on a blanket to enjoy the live music while catching up with friends and neighbors.
Favorite Downtime Activity: Sitting on my front porch with my husband and two daughters, enjoying a cup of coffee.
Favorite Super Hero: Any single parent. Even with an amazing spouse it’s hard, so anyone who does it themselves is a true super hero.
Favorite Social Media: Instagram because I love seeing beautiful images that get me dreaming about my next trip.
Person you would like to share a Vermont beverage with: I’d love to have a beer with journalist Nicholas Kristof. He writes about some of our world’s most pressing issues with compassion, but doesn’t shy away from examining the complexities that make solving these problems difficult. I think we’d have a lot to talk about since he’s also a keen traveler and we are both interested in human rights.
If you had unlimited access to funds, which causes would you support: I’d pour money into ensuring that we address climate change as aggressively as possible. We have twelve years to right the ship or our earth will bear catastrophic consequences. I find it infuriating to think about the world we are allowing ourselves to leave to future generations.
What is the best career advice you have received: I often think of the adage “When you love your job, you never work a day in your life.” I’m lucky enough to have carved out a career for myself where I wake up in the morning completely fired up to start my workday.
Where do you see yourself professionally in ten years: My professional mandate is to follow my curiosity. I have no idea if I’ll still be running my business in the same way in ten years or have veered into a completely different direction. Whatever I’m doing, I’ll be doing it with enthusiasm and passion.
What else would you like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years: I’d like to grow my business in creative and innovative ways that allow this generation of students to develop into globally and civically –minded citizens. I’m also looking forward to finding additional ways to contribute to my community in Stowe and elsewhere in Vermont.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont: The natural splendor, the people and the sense of community. Vermont is the only place I’ve ever lived that feels unequivocally like home. I find the sense of community in Vermont both heartwarming and incredibly empowering. An active citizen in Vermont has actual power to affect change.
Career Highlights: This year I celebrate 10 years of incorporation. I built EnRoute from the ground up at the age of 23. The most exciting part of this journey has been watching the gap year movement grow in in the United States. In 2017, the Gap Year Association presented me with an award for Innovation in Programming. This award credited my work in developing the US gap year industry and creating opportunities for more students to engage in gap time. GYA is my industry’s governing body, so being nominated by my colleagues and recognized at our national conference was a huge honor.
Community Involvement: I am locally involved with political organizing and advocacy, with a focus on social justice, conservation and early childhood education. I’m honored to sit on the Board of Advisors for the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), based in Waterbury Center. CLiF delivers literacy programming to at-risk youth across Vermont and New Hampshire. I worked for CLiF for three years as a program coordinator and am happy to still be involved with their mission.
