2006 Young Alumni Award

A letter of recommendation on behalf of Julia Nan Cuba’s application to join the class of 1996 from her high school counselor indicated that Julia “is concerned about her future because she wants her pursuits to have an impact on the world.” Throughout her career at Beloit, she created her own challenges, and designed her own courses to deal with real life experiences of women who had stepped beyond their culturally assigned roles. She wound up, after a lot of theory, questioning if real women can truly define themselves. Her graduate work in social work and her serendipitous opportunity to work with young girls and their incarcerated mothers, has given her the chance to pursue that question into her professional career–and to have a profound impact on the world of a new generation. The powerful film, Troop 1500, and her work in her native Texas, have fulfilled her dream and created dreams for others through its moving story of the mutually affirming relationships between jailed mothers and their daughters. Late last year, when Julia heard about the first Beloit international film festival, she called to bring Troop 1500 to our attention. She did not need to. It was one of the first films selected by the film committee, unaware at the time of any connection with Beloit. It is seldom that one celebrating their tenth reunion ends up on the cover of Beloit College Magazine or makes this kind of national impact. Beloit is proud of Julia Cuba and her achievements, and that we can claim her as one of our own. On the occasion of her tenth reunion, the Beloit College Alumni Association is honored to recognize her with the 2006 Young Alumni Award and wishes her much continued success.