Juliana Dauchess '16

Juliana grew up in Reston, Virginia, as the oldest of five siblings, and attended Oakcrest from 6th through 12th grade. She was a leader in Student Council, played for the Oakcrest Tennis Team all four years of high school, and was active in the Spanish Club.

 

Today, Juliana serves as a Legislative Director for Congressman Lloyd Smucker, where she develops and oversees the Congressman’s legislative agenda through drafting and monitoring legislation, advising the Congressman, and managing his legislative staff.  

She says that “I love my job because I get to work with the Congressman to advance his legislative priorities by using a combination of technical skills – understanding the legislative process, learning how to write legislative text, etc. – with soft skills, such as working in a bipartisan manner and building coalitions.”

 

Juliana can trace her interest in public policy back to her classes at Oakcrest: “I particularly enjoyed AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government, taught by Miss Nussio and Mrs. Salerno. Both encouraged me to actively engage with historical texts and reflect on how history relates to our lives today, which was very insightful for someone who would later go on to work in government.”

 

After graduating from Oakcrest, Juliana attended Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.  When she would return home to the States each summer during her college years, she completed professional internships in Washington, D.C., including at a conservative think tank and the U.S. State Department. “I knew I was interested in foreign affairs and politics, so when I graduated, I started applying to jobs on Capitol Hill,” Juliana said. “I received an offer to work as a Staff Assistant for Congressman Smucker and have been with his office ever since.”

 

When asked how her liberal arts education at Oakcrest formed and prepared her for life and her career, Juliana answered that her Oakcrest education “has helped me become a lifelong learner. Due to my education in the liberal arts, I know how to research, ask the right questions, and find experts who can point me in the right direction. I used my critical thinking skills to distill large quantities of information into clean and succinct recommendations for the Member, helping him to make informed decisions on the policy debates of the day.”

 

In addition to providing Juliana with academic formation, Juliana expressed that Oakcrest influenced her spiritual development and the way she lives her faith today. “I was very inspired at Oakcrest to see young women actively engaging with their faith through daily Mass, prayer, and other means of formation,” she recalled.

 

Attending daily Mass as an Oakcrest student had a lifelong impact on Juliana. “After spending seven years with time put aside every day for Mass and reflection, I carried that custom with me into my college years and young professional life,” Juliana stated.

 

Oakcrest was a true partner to her parents during her middle and high school years, she remembered. “Oakcrest reinforced what my parents taught me – that I can sanctify myself and others by doing my work to the best of my ability and by constantly working to deepen my relationship with Christ.”

 

Some of Juliana’s favorite Oakcrest memories include participating in Spirit Week, spending time with her friends in the Senior Loft, and seeing Fr. Gerry’s weekly origami project displayed outside the confessional.  

In her free time, Juliana enjoys playing tennis, hiking, visiting museums, traveling and exploring D.C.!  Her advice for Oakcrest graduates: “Set out into the deep! Don’t be afraid…Throw yourself into your university studies, make friends from all walks of life, challenge yourself to deepen your faith, apply for competitive internships, and enjoy the next four years of developing yourself intellectually, personally, and professionally.”