Julie Cashdollar Profile
Life in the Law Office
Meet Julie Cashdollar, a political science student in the class of 2013.
Julie came to Saint Francis as a transfer student in the middle of her junior year with an Associate’s degree in paralegal studies from Clarion University. Julie majored in political science while at Saint Francis. She was an honor’s program graduate and was also inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society.
While earning a degree in political science, Julie demonstrated the utility of how flexible the major program is to study a broad range of subjects, including history. In fact, she completed her honor’s program independent study project by examining how the people of England during the 16th century reacted to Henry VIII’s decision to separate from the Catholic Church and to establish the Church of England, with himself as its Head. She concluded from her research that many people were unhappy with Henry’s actions, especially his elimination of Catholic religious institutions, such as monasteries, nunneries and chantries, which had provided the common people with many important services. This unhappiness fueled many of the religious uprisings in protest against Henry’s actions. Her research was so good that it was published in Spectrum, the Student Research Journal of Saint Francis.
While at Saint Francis, Julie pursued an internship with State Representative Daryl Metcalfe in his district office in Butler County. The internship helped pave the way for her first job after college as a legislative assistant in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Julie currently works as a Legal Assistant in the law offices of Stepanian & Menchyk, LLP.
Sharing her experiences at Saint Francis, Julie stated:
“Saint Francis is big enough that it offers a variety of ways to get involved on campus, but it’s also small enough that a student is remembered by their name, not a number. The option to apply for or find internships is great. You can receive class credit for experience that enables you to take skills you’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to real life. I had heard that internships could lead to jobs, and I experienced it firsthand.”