Julie White

Julie White first discovered the joys of cycling as a thirteen-year old, after moving from one small town to another small town in Indiana. She arrived in Rushville, Indiana in the summertime, with no easy means or great skills at making friends, so she spent the summer days exploring the town and enjoying the freedom. She’s cycled off and on since then, and in the past two years has become a regular bike commuter.

In between Rushville and Rochester, she lived in Oxford, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio. Rochester has been home for over seventeen years now, and it’s where she met her partner, Tanya, and also where she’s raised her kids, T.J. (eighteen) and Brianne (sixteen).

Her jobs over the years have included: cashier in her parents’ bookstore and gun shop (yes, you read that right); factory worker; camp counselor; high school English teacher; college health educator; university women’s center director; and, currently, community college counselor/administrator. She has a master’s degree in counseling and is pursuing a doctorate in higher education leadership at the Warner School of the University of Rochester.

Her community involvement over the years has included: crisis counselor; volunteer and board member of Abundance Cooperative Market; volunteer for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley; volunteer and board member of Metro Justice of Rochester; along with various and sundry other actions and activities. Currently she is a member of the advisory board of the South Wedge Farmers’ Market.

Along with cycling, she finds great joy in knitting, sewing, cooking, gardening, yoga, camping, taking walks with Tanya, having study nights with Brianne, and visiting TJ to watch him play cello.

One of Julie’s goals for her 45th year of life is to complete a 45-mile bike ride; she blogs about that, along with many other things, at My 45th Year.

• Read Julie’s essays for RocBike.com.