Q & A with Junior Marc-Daniel Julien

Junior Marc-Daniel Julien is a member of the men’s cross country and track and field teams.  He became a two-time Mideast Region runner this past fall after helping the Tartans win the regional for the second time since 2008.  He is a three-time University Athletic Association (UAA) Champion in indoor and outdoor track and field.  In 2013 Julien was part of the winning 4x400-meter relay and the 4x800-meter relay at the outdoor championships before being a member of the winning 4x800-meter relay team at last year’s outdoor championships. Find out more interesting information about the electrical and computer engineering major who carries a 3.85 GPA in the classroom.

Why did you choose to attend Carnegie Mellon University?
In high school, I really enjoyed the balance that I had between academics and sports. I wanted to go to a school where I could do the same thing, except at a more intense level. Carnegie Mellon gives me the opportunity to work and learn with some of the smartest students and professors as well as being able to still compete against some of the best Division III schools in the nation.
 
What do you plan to do following graduation?
I’m not entirely sure what I want to do after graduation. I’m debating between going straight into industry or staying an extra year to complete a masters in ECE. I’ve heard pros and cons for both routes, so I’ll need a lot more time to think about it. I will be interning at SpaceX this summer, so I think that my experience there will have a big impact on my future plans.
 
What is your favorite place or thing to do on campus?
Watch movies on the big screen in the lecture rooms.

What are your goals for your team?
When it comes to both cross country and track and field, I feel that if the team can continue to work together and if everyone pushes each other to improve on their best times or marks, the overall team goals of qualifying for nationals and winning the UAA can be attainable.
 
As a team, what types of things do you do together away from the course/track?
Lots of things! This year we got really into rock climbing, so we did that several times together. We often go see movies either at a theater or play them ourselves (with projectors and everything!). We also like to play other sports together like ultimate (frisbee), basketball, and various intramural sports.

What do you think sets Carnegie Mellon apart from peer institutions?
I really like that Carnegie Mellon is good at a lot of things, everything between science, engineering and art. As a student here, you get to see the best of it all which is  really exciting. I’ve recently started taking classes for the IDeATe (Integrative Design Art and Technology), and I’ve gotten to work with students from many different colleges at CMU to see all of the different skills that people are learning. The fact that CMU can excel in so many different areas nationally is what I think sets it apart from other institutions.
 
If you could choose another sport to play, what would it be, and why?
I would like to play ultimate. It’s a very fun sport to play and is a sport that a lot of runners seem to enjoy. Speed and endurance are key elements which being a runner provides. While learning to throw and catch a disk can be frustrating at first (runners aren't the most coordinated) it is very rewarding once you get it down.
 
What is your most memorable moment here at Carnegie Mellon?
My most memorable moment thus far at Carnegie Mellon would have to be this year at the NCAA Cross Country Mideast Regional. Coming into the meet we were hoping for a top three finish since that would put us in a good position to make nationals. After running a tough race, we thought we had finished around third place or so, and we were very happy. When the official results came out, we had finished in first. I remember our other teammates who had come to watch us race running down the field towards us cheering and yelling about the news, it was unbelievable.

Who has had the most influence on your life?
My mother has had the most influence on my life. I’ve seen her work so hard throughout my entire life, and that has had a big impact on my work ethic. While she has never really had to push me to do well in school and other things, she has definitely been my motivation to succeed.

How do you feel about the student-athlete community and support at Carnegie Mellon?
The student-athlete support and community is great. I think that being a student-athlete here has given me a lot of opportunities and relationships that I would not have had otherwise. It has definitely helped me excel as a student. Most people would think that being a student-athlete takes time away from your school work and makes it harder to get things done. While that isn’t very far from the truth, sometimes that break from school work and reaching out to the community that you have is what you need to do well in your academics.