It’s not every day you get to meet someone living two entirely different lives at Penn—but Julie Shin (C ’26) does exactly that, balancing early mornings on the golf course and late nights in the dance studio. In a school that often rewards specialization, Julie has built a life expansive enough to be a part of both competitive athletics and the performing arts.
Recruited to Penn for golf, Julie’s high school days were filled with early morning workouts and 25–hour practice weeks. “I actually think I had a hard time adjusting,” Julie says about her freshman year at Penn. Eventually, though, she was able to settle into the Penn community, becoming close friends with the girls on the golf team and finding her place at the school.
Julie had a “slight interest” in dance before she came to college but claims that it was “nothing too crazy”—the most experience she had with dance was performing at a pep rally and talent show at her high school. That slight interest, however, was enough for her to join her first dance group—K–Beats—during her sophomore year at Penn. She initially felt hesitant about auditioning, noting that many people around her weren’t sure that she’d be able to juggle dance and golf at the same time. “I understood that,” she says, “but I just did it anyway because I felt like if I didn’t do something, I would regret it.”
Through dance, Julie was able to tap into her growing love for performance. And to her surprise, her golf scoring averages rapidly improved after she joined K–Beats—culminating in her first individual tournament win.
But Julie didn’t stop her dance career just at K–Beats. In her sophomore spring, she made the decision to join her second dance group, Penn Hype Dance Crew, after being convinced by her upperclassmen friends to audition. Many of her friends, though, were again worried that she was overcommitting herself: “A lot of them told me, ‘Oh girl, that’s going to be way too much.’”
Despite her friends’ concerns, Julie found the workload quite manageable and believes that being part of K–Beats, Penn Hype, and the golf team is one of the best decisions she’s made during her college career. Since joining K–Beats, she’s not only placed fifth at the Ivy League championships for golf—a career–high performance—but also improved her academic outcomes. “That’s why I feel like if I put my mind to something, I can make it happen,” Julie says. “I’ll make it work somehow.”
Going into her senior year, Julie ramped up her involvement within the varsity golf team and her two dance groups. “This is your last year to do anything, so just go crazy,” she recalls thinking to herself. That mindset has certainly paid off, as she now serves as co–captain of her golf team, internal vice president for K–Beats, and a choreographer for Penn Hype. Though she was new to each of the roles, choreography felt the most unfamiliar to her. “I was honestly scared of it because I feel like it’s hard to choreograph,” she says. “I knew I would struggle with it because it doesn’t come naturally to me at all.” But through perseverance and determination, everything eventually fell into place. “I’d look back at the show videos and [be] like, ‘Wow, it really came together,’” she says. “It was so great.”
Beyond the numbers—tournaments won, dances performed, board positions held—what stands out about Julie is her intentionality with her time. With so much to do and so little time to do it, she doesn’t have much room for hesitation. She’s learned to trust herself in the in–between moments—whether that’s choosing to show up to an extra practice or pushing through a long day. That mindset, she explains, didn’t develop overnight. It was built through choosing commitment again and again over the years. It came from never letting others’ skepticism become her own, and from proving to herself that she could handle anything she set her mind to.
What Julie has experienced in her four years at Penn has been far from her original goals of just doing well in golf and “hopefully” keeping up with her academics. “Now, in my free time, I’m just dancing!” she laughs. “Which is not at all what I expected; it’s just something I haven’t experienced before.” Though she will miss the unique energy of college—constantly being on the grind, perpetually struggling, yet always persisting—she’s excited for what comes next. “I feel like I’ve honestly done as much as I could, and it makes me really glad I made the choices I did,” Julie says.
After Julie graduates, she’ll either be in New York or her home city of Washington, working in marketing analytics. Her careers in golf and dance won’t be forgotten, though; she plans to go to casual golf tournaments and dance workshops when she has the time to do so. “Everything else is more up in the air, for sure,” she says.
When asked what she would tell her freshman–year self, Julie’s answer is quite amusing: “Girl, don’t take those Econ classes. You don’t need them.” Beneath the joke, she laughs that her only real regret is the sleep she’s missed—those six–plus hours per night—and the time she’s spent stressing over the little things. “Things are going to work out in the end. You’ll find your place,” she says.
