Above: Julia Ran performs as a member of DC Edge junior.
By Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz
DC Edge’s Julia Ran shines on the ice — and in her community, inspiring others to dream bigger and give back.
When Ran takes the ice with the internationally recognized junior DC Edge synchronized skating team, her precision, passion and poise are unmistakable.
But Julia’s story doesn’t end when the music fades and the blades stop gliding. Off the ice, this accomplished young skater devotes her time to a variety of volunteer programs driven by a desire to give back to her community and inspire others to pursue dreams they never thought possible.
The 16-year-old and rising high school senior from Kennett Square, Pennsylavania, began skating at age 3, but didn’t fall in love with the sport until she was 5, and joined the Delaware Figure Skating Club.
“I joined Team Delaware’s synchro team that year when I was 6 and skated on this team for seven years,” Ran said. “In the ninth grade, I left and joined DC Edge in hopes of finding a greater challenge.”
Ran also proudly noted that she skated on all synchro levels from beginner to junior.
“This will be my fourth year on DC Edge and my 11th year of synchro,” Ran said.
And although skating with her team takes up many hours of her time, Ran also finds time to volunteer for many special projects.
“I volunteer in official volunteer activities and also I am a part of school clubs that do community outreach,” Ran said.
Official volunteering activities include the Tacy Foundation, where volunteers give concerts at nursing homes and hospitals throughout the D.C. area.
“I have been playing piano since I was 4, but don’t enjoy practicing on my own,” Ran said. “Getting to play for others, however, made me enjoy piano so much more, because I was making people happy while doing it.”
She is a Special Olympics volunteer coach at Special Olympics Rockville, teaching skaters with intellectual disabilities skating skills and helping them prepare their programs for competitions.
“I love doing it because skating is often seen as inaccessible to many, and I want to make sure everyone is welcomed into the skating community,” Ran said.
Ran is also a volunteer instructor at the HXGV Chinese School, where she teaches an SAT English class to 30 students. As part of her Unionville High School outreach, she serves as co-president for her Books for Friends Club and is a member of Science in a Bag.
At the Books for Friends club, members write and illustrate stories.
“Then we put them together in a book and send copies of it to preschools and children’s centers around the Philly area,” Ran said. “I love reading and I love getting to talk to kids and make them laugh.”
Her involvement in Science in a Bag involves gathering materials for science experiments and delivering them to local community centers, where kids can participate and learn about the science behind them.
With an already busy skating life, what makes Ran continue to spend her off-ice hours giving to others?
“Looking back on my journey, I remember specific people who have provided a way in to certain activities, have brightened my day in some way, or have inspired me to do something I thought I couldn’t. I want to be that person for someone else, which is why I love to volunteer and spend time doing community service,” Ran said.
She also enjoys the many hours on the ice with her team and the friendships formed.
“I love how diverse our team is, both culturally (being in D.C.) and also in what we find most important, “Ran said. “I love seeing our programs get more polished as the hours add up. I’m a detail-oriented person, so I appreciate how all 16 of us on the ice need to agree on who should be where at what time to create what should be an art form. It’s definitely both a physically and mentally stimulating sport.”
For Ran, the enjoyment of learning something new means so much more when it’s used to help others.
“Whenever I learn something new, I look forward to passing it forward,” Ran said. “Getting to make the world a better place by using the education I’ve been lucky enough to receive is what motivates me in all aspects of my life. I want to make a difference in people’s lives, which is why I spend so much time doing these activities.”
