Twenty-five-year-old Julia Sprofera grew up in Medfield, went to college at Wake Forest in North Carolina, worked in Charlotte, but it seems as if she was destined to call South Boston home.
“I knew I had to come “home” to Massachusetts after working for a year in Charlotte and so looked at a lot of neighborhoods. South Boston appealed to me because it was more of a community,” she said. Moving from apartment to apartment over three years, she is busy without seeming pressured. Working at Arbella Insurance, and pursuing an MBA at Boston College, Julia listens, observes, and engages. She has developed an appreciation of South Boston, and a recognition that it is not always easy for those who have been in the community for generations.
“I like living in a place with all ages and diverse backgrounds. I know some new people moving in don’t respect that it has been home to people for a long time, but I do.” she said. In fact, she has several stories of people living in her building who are decades older, and those with children, and what they all can offer each other.
As has always been the case with most who discover South Boston, Julia loves Castle Island, walking her dog (and the many she has fostered) around the neighborhood, and seeing friends and going to local restaurants, but it is more. Naturally friendly, she brings a welcome to those she meets and seems quick to understand what others need. She doesn’t get overly stressed by parking demands and sees the challenges far less than the pleasures.
With a degree in math analytics, her future will undoubtedly offer many choices, as she starts to think about her career and eventual hope of a large family. For now, she has made this place home, and hopes to give back even more concretely once she finishes school and can find the right place to volunteer.
“My twin sister lives in the Seaport, my dad really loves it here, and my mom, maybe not quite as much, but she comes,” she said. “I love city life, the people, and dogs. Just last week we were walking and stumbled upon the street festival. That’s the kind of thing I like. If I can convince my boyfriend I would love to stay here.”
Julia Sprofera is fun and serious, respectful, and open, and she is bound to enhance any community she ultimately joins. In the meantime, she honors the history of South Boston while engaging with responsible joy. All of this in just three years!
( Please contact cmasshardt@comcast.net If you or you know of someone who would be interested in talking about their experience of life in SB over thirty or under three years.)
