Julia Burke is a 1961 graduate of Mount Aloysius Academy and a 1963 graduate of Mount Aloysius Junior College, where she received her Associate’s Degree in Education. Julia’s journey to the Mount began in the summer of 1957, when her family was informed that an anonymous benefactor had offered to pay the tuition for her to attend Mount Aloysius Academy.

Julia’s grade school education at Saint Patrick’s in Newry, PA was at the hands of the Sisters of Mercy, so she felt right at home to have them as her instructors at Mount Aloysius. She began high school as a day student. Two years later, there was no longer transportation available. With work-study offered by the administration, she was able to live on campus.

At that time, the campus of the Mount consisted of the Main Administration Building and the attachments of the Chapel, Alumni Hall, and Saint Joe’s and Saint Gert’s residence halls. Classes were conducted on the second floor. High school dorms were on the third floor. Alumni Hall served as a gym, an assembly hall, a dance floor, and an auditorium. Many plays and musicals as well as proms were held there. The first floor of the main building held the library, administration offices, and beautifully decorated parlors. Separate dining halls for high school and college students were there. Julia’s Academy class graduated on June 2, 1961.

She shared that she had been well-educated academically and spiritually. Most of her classmates would go on to college, some to the convent, and others to begin married life. Her class would be the last Academy class.

Following graduation, Julia earned a full scholarship to MAJC as a day student. Just weeks into her first semester, transportation would become an issue. Thanks to her father’s efforts, a couple in Cresson came to her aid. For $3.50 a week, they would provide a room, breakfast, and dinner plus a packed lunch.
Julia’s major at the Mount was elementary education. When she graduated in 1963, there was a shortage of teachers. Both public and parochial schools were hiring men and women with two-year degrees. Her first job was at St. Mary’s in Altoona teaching second grade, and her transportation problems were solved when she received her driver’s license and bought a car.

In 1965, Julia married her wonderful, supportive husband, Jim Burke. He was in the military stationed in Germany. Their next two and a half years were spent there. Jim and Adana, their two older children, were born there.
Following the Burke’s return to the States, Julia did substitute teaching until a full-time position became available at St. Patrick’s. She left there in 1970 when their son, Chris, was born.

In 1972, shortly after the birth of their daughter Kelly, the Burkes bought a small restaurant in Hollidaysburg, and Julia became the cook. During this period, she became active with the Altoona Chapter of the Mount Aloysius Alumni Association. Previously, she had made sporadic visits to the Mount to visit with the nuns or attend reunions. The local group met several times a year and had yearly fundraisers.

Following the sale of the restaurant business in 1978, she applied to Saint Francis for the Physician Assistant program and was accepted. In December of her sophomore year their youngest son Sean was born, just before finals. Since she had an associate degree, she was able to maintain a lighter schedule for the next semester.

It would have been smooth sailing from there since her mother and husband were able to help with the baby and the older kids were in school. But, in July of 1980, Julia had a craniotomy for a benign brain tumor. She was able to return to school as-scheduled that August and graduated with honors in 1982. Julia returned to school in 1992 and received a Masters in Physician Assistant at Saint Francis in 1994.
In addition to working as a PA in Women’s Health, Julia remained active in her community, teaching CCD classes, volunteering at church, and supporting her children through their many activities.

After being the first in her family to graduate from college, Julia is proud of her children, who all have advanced degrees and are gainfully employed. Julia and Jim have been blessed with fifteen beautiful, talented grandchildren. Julia retired in 2009 and became involved again with the Alumni Association. Since 2011, she has been a member of the Executive Board.

As Julia wrote her biography, she shared:
“This brought back many memories. I have been given much by this institution and the Sisters of Mercy. They were my teachers from first grade through two years of college. They gave me a foundation on which I could build. They provided love and encouragement. All of this reminds me of the quote from Shakespeare, ‘The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; it blesseth him that gives and him that takes.’
I have been ‘twice blest’.”