When Juliette Yang began her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree, she had no idea where or just how far the program would take her, both literally and figuratively. Yang grew up in Englewood, Ohio, where she was a competitive dancer and dance coach for several years until she began pursuing post-secondary education, full-time, at a community college. It was around this period when she met her future husband, Austin, a University of Virginia alumnus and physician in the United States Air Force, stationed at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The couple learned that he would be transferred to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, so Yang began looking for online schools where she could use the community college credits she had earned to finish her bachelor’s degree, while still having the flexibility to move to Nevada with Austin.
“I think I was just Googling ‘online programs for bachelor’s degree’ and found the BIS program, and all the pieces fell into place,” remembered Yang. “I met the credit requirements. The GPA was fine. I remember exactly where I was when I received the email that I got into UVA. We were out at a bar with friends, and I was like, ‘Do I open it?’ And Austin said, ‘Well, if you get in, we drink. If you don’t get in, we drink.’”
As a former student, Austin was able to share his firsthand experience, which also helped seal the deal for Yang landing with UVA. In January 2023, she started her online BIS classes, with a concentration in art and society, taking the courses with her for their cross-country move the following summer and maintaining them once they arrived, and she found employment. The couple were married less than a year later.
Yang took advantage of her new surroundings, as well as her dance background, when it was time to choose her capstone topic, a two-semester project where BIS students conduct independent research as part of their graduation requirements. Her project entitled “Evolution of Traditional Dances Among the Northern and Southern Paiute Tribes in Nevada: Understanding Beliefs, Representation, and the Effects of Colonization” originated after she met a co-worker who was part of the Paiute Tribe.
“I was really interested in the culture and dance aspect of it,” Yang said. “And then I took Christie Mendoza McCall’s class last summer for the anthropological origins of dance. So, it all segued on top of each other. I’d never heard of the Paiute people before, so I wanted to bring that to UVA, because it’s not something that’s really covered. I was adamant about that.”
Yang was also adamant about interacting with the Paiute people. “I didn’t want my capstone to be just from books. I didn’t want the superficial. I wanted it to come from them - the people themselves. It was more, ‘What story did they want told? What do they want people know about them?’ That was very important to me. So, I did a lot of traveling in person, observational research. I’m very proud of how it turned out.”
As she conducted her research, Austin was deployed to Qatar, forcing the newlyweds to live apart and in a long-distance marriage for six months. Yang received support from her parents, even taking them along on her travels as she gathered information for her final project. “My mom flew out from Florida, and at one point, my dad flew out from Ohio to go with me across the state to different events. There was a lot of hiking mountains, because they have old petroglyphs and pictographs in the rocks. I love hiking, so it was a lot of fun.”
She also received support from fellow BIS classmate Suzie Hartwell who shared a similar life experience with Yang in enduring several deployments with her military-member spouse. “She played a huge role in my motivation to keep going,” stated Yang. “We had capstone 1 and 2 together, so it was amazing to have a friend who understood everything I was going through.”
Yang pointed to her UVA instructors as a major source of help as well. Christie Mendoza McCall served as her capstone adviser, offering inspiration from
her own prolific background in dance, while published author Charlotte Matthews’ writing classes helped her to write academically but still have a creative voice. According to Yang, their guidance and instruction was instrumental in helping to bring “life” to her capstone paper. Both mentors also encouraged Yang to remember to take breaks and not overextend herself.
“I relate to Christie very, very much, and Charlotte just has this unique perspective on life. You know - one thing at a time, we’re all going through stuff, you can take a break. She starts every class with five minutes or so of just breathing. It’s funny to meet someone who can really help you find a balance. I think she did that for me quite a bit.”
Yang recently graduated, traveling to Charlottesville to walk the Lawn with the Class of 2025 and celebrate Finals Weekend with Austin and her parents. The occasion was especially momentous since Austin had just returned from his deployment in early May.
She also recently took the role of team lead within the laboratory for which she works, her first management position. Yang will continue to work in this role, remotely, when she and Austin move with their Corgis, Bella and Mochi, to San Antonio, Texas this summer. She said she may continue her education and apply for graduate studies after taking some time off from school first. As Matthews taught her about finding balance in life: “One thing at a time, we’re all going through stuff, you can take a break.”