Julia Frances

Finding Inspiration in Every Turn

I. Overview

Julia Frances’s life spans a transformative era of Spanish and global history. Born in 1959
in Valencia, Spain, she grew up during Franco’s authoritarian regime. This period was marked by
political oppression, isolation from the rest of Europe, and strict Catholic religious observance.
Her early life mirrored this political and social environment of mid-20th-century Spain, where
community life was modest, close-knit, and religion/traditional gender roles played an important
role in everyday life. Her early life experiences heavily impacted her lifestyle later in life,
determined to change society for the better, and uphold her morals. As such, her influence
continued with her immigration and civic participation in the U.S.

II. Family and Early Life

Raised in a traditional yet progressively minded Spanish household, Julia’s family
emphasized the value of togetherness. Unlike other Spanish families, her family wasn’t large;
rather, it was a close-knit group consisting of the core family members—parents, siblings, uncles,
aunts, and grandparents. However, making up for her relatively small family were the neighbors
she lived with in her building. The community she lived in was one in which everybody knew
each other and each other's drama. Echoing this community closeness, during Summer, it was
common to see neighbors bringing chairs outside of her building, gathering at night to share
meals and conversation. Reflecting the gender roles of the mid-20th century, Julia's mother stayed at home taking care of her children while her father was the breadwinner of the family. Julia’s father was
considered fortunate with his occupation: he owned a workshop of printing machines. However,
due to the rise in unstable political situations, her father was forced to sell the business and ended
up working for the emerging German company “Hartmann.” The Hartmann Group specialized in
its innovations and early adoption of technologies, and as such, its technology was superior to much of that found in Spain. According to Julia, the Hartmann group recognized her father's skill and ended up inviting him to work for their company - an affirmation of the rapidly changing economic landscape.

Mid-20th-century Spain placed high importance on traditional gender roles as well as the role of religion. Under dictator Francisco Franco, church and state were one, with national festivities centered around religious events. Under Francoist Spain, attending Sunday mass wasn’t just expected, it was a must. Adding to this government emphasis on religion was societal pressure, Julia explained, “If you didn't go to church, others would start to point fingers.” This strict conservative environment also dictated the perceived role of women in Spanish society. Women weren't expected to receive any higher education; rather, once they graduated from high school, they were pressured to marry and have many children. However, Julia’s family broke with these social norms. Her father, progressive in his thinking, encouraged her to pursue her education and dream career, making her the first in her family to seek higher education.

III. Education and Career

Julia completed her high school education in Spain, a drastically different experience from the U.S. high school experience. Throughout schooling, Spanish students are taught to be very reverent to teachers, to the extent that students don't question the decisions made by their teachers. Students don't question their grade; they don't blame their teachers. If a student does badly on an exam/assignment, it is the fault of the student. On the rare occasion when parents would have to be contacted by the school, parents would always agree with the teachers on questions regarding their children. As such, the greatest culture shock for Julia when she came to
the US was how different the education system was. While the U.S. placed great importance on
grades to get into universities, she found that Spain placed a greater importance on developing
critical thinking and learning. Additionally, many of the universities found in the U.S. are private
institutions, although there are some private colleges found in Spain; the majority of them are run
by the state and are free to attend.

Another monumental event during her high school years was when Julia started her first job. Julia started her first job when she was 16 in the heart of her city. Although her city of Valencia wasn't as big of a city as the capital of Madrid, it was a popular tourist spot with many sightseeing locations. As such, working in the heart of Valencia, she was forced to serve many international customers who weren't able to speak Spanish. Through these interactions, Julia interacted with many English clients, leading her to develop a love for the language. As she kept
practicing the language, she made a promise to herself to learn English fluently one day. Once Julia graduated from high school, she began working in the import/export sector, dealing with African nations such as New Guinea. However, she quickly realized that this wasn't
the career she wanted to pursue. Remembering her promise to herself to learn English fluently
when she was 16, Julia searched for opportunities to continue schooling in the U.S. Finally finding her chance, Julia moved to the United States in 1990. In the U.S., she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Montclair State University and later completed a master’s degree in Linguistics online from the Spanish University of Jaén. Her educational experience spans two very different systems: Spain’s public, exam-based, learning-centered university system and the U.S.’s grade-oriented private-public dual system. Since she immigrated to the U.S., Julia has become a beloved teacher at Glen Rock High School and a respected professor at Rutgers University Newark. At Glen Rock High School, she's taught most levels of Spanish, from Spanish honors 2 to Spanish honors 5. At Rutgers, she’s part of the Spanish and Portuguese Studies Department. Julia incorporates her experiences from Spain into her lessons when she teaches, emphasizing a great respect for teachers.

IV. Political and Historical Engagement

Throughout her life, Julia lived through monumental historical events such as the Spanish
transition to a Democracy (post 1975), the Vietnam War (via global media exposure), the fall of
the Berlin Wall (1989), as well as the assassination of her role model Martin Luther King Jr
(1968). Most impactful on her life were the Spanish transition to a Democracy as well as the fall
of the Berlin Wall. The transition from dictatorship/Francoist Spain was monumental to her
because it was the first time she granted enfranchisement. Ever since she became a citizen, she
hasn't missed a vote, believing that civic participation is an important duty as a member of a
nation. Her firsthand experience voting after the end of Franco’s regime remains a strong memory
and civic commitment that carried into her U.S citizenship in 2009. The Fall of the Berlin Wall
was extremely significant to her because she saw this as the reuniting of two worlds. Following
the fall of the Berlin Wall, Spain was pushed into the European market and integrated into the
larger economy.

Living in Spain, Julia was politically involved with a variety of progressive groups. She was involved with progressive religious groups and educators working to modernize post-dictatorship Spain. Inspired by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, and Spanish Communist exile La Pasionara, Julia’s worldview blended advocacy, education, and political consciousness. Her role models reflect her belief that education and empathy are necessary tools for change. This political activity in Spain carried into her life in the U.S., becoming extremely active in politics and political participation.

V. Social Change and Gender Roles

Julia witnessed and participated in Spain’s transformation from religious conservatism to secular liberalism, particularly in the 1980s. Julia's morals/values throughout life were heavily nfluenced by experiences early in life, such as witnessing her friends' dreams being crushed by gender roles, as well as the mistreatment of a neighbor who was gay. Due to these experiences, Julia promised to never discriminate against people; how people live their lives is up to them, not to her.

Following the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain had to create a constitution to ensure a Democratic society. As such, rapid changes happened from 1975 to 1980. Starting in the 80s, Spain went from one extreme to the next. The people of Spain were tired of living under a dictatorship: topless beaches, open LGBTQ+ expression, legalization of divorce, and contraception all emerged in post-Franco Spain. This was an extreme shift from the extremely religious state that Spain was in under Francisco Franco’s rule.

VI. Technological Change

Throughout her life, Julia has experienced several waves of technological innovation that
greatly changed her life. Early in her life, Julia was limited to the technology she was exposed to,
being restricted to a landline phone and a black and white static TV. Early in her childhood, if Julia wanted to communicate with her friends privately, she would hide behind a chair near the landline phone. This gave her the feeling of privacy, even if not by much. Additionally, Julia's family was the first in her 8-family building to own a TV. Whilst on an American boat for work, Julia's father managed to negotiate to buy a TV from the Americans. As such, every night, her neighbors would come to her apartment to watch TV together. However, the first time Julia saw a colored TV was in a restaurant, she was so surprised by it and couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Later in life, she saw the massive shift to cell phone and laptop use. These technologies greatly changed her communication with family and friends around the world.

VII. Immigration and Citizenship

Upon immigration to the U.S., Julia raised a family and pursued education while navigating cultural adaptation. Although Julia immigrated to the U.S. on August 13th, 1990, she became a U.S. citizen on July 24th, 2009, after a rigorous and emotional naturalization process. Determined to pass, Julia had studied a lot for her citizenship test. During the test, she was asked questions such as what the name of the National Anthem was and even prompted to draw a 100 bill on a piece of paper - a stressful yet memorable moment. Julia's first vote as a U.S citizen was in a state election for Governor of New Jersey, followed by casting a ballot in the 2012 presidential election, further solidifying her role in American civic life.

VIII. Legacy and Historical Perspective

Julia views her life as reflective of the broader postwar generation that transitioned from dictatorship to democracy, from isolation to global integration. Overall, Julia believes that society has turned for the better, even with all the new emerging struggles. Julia explained, “Sometimes people are comfortable in their lives and they don't do anything; however, when there is trouble, people start moving and protesting.” She believes societal progress is cyclical, with moments of regression and renewal, but remains hopeful due to the power of civic participation and education.