Julia Winter
Alchemie
Detroit, MI USA
"Don’t look for a problem to solve. Know in your heart what problem you want to solve. Then the hurdles won’t feel as high."
Career Roadmap
Julia's work combines: Science, Education, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Trust your instincts. You have to go with your gut. Embrace your mistakes and learn from them, but never stop trying things. Never close a door or burn bridges. Networking keeps you in the game and can make or break you.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Chemistry, General
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Bachelor's Degree
Education, General
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Graduate Degree
Chemistry, General
Wayne State University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Growing up she was an avid athlete and a camp counselor—says these interests sparked an early interest in working with young people and teaching.
2.
Attended the University of Minnesota where she received two bachelor’s degrees; one in chemistry, and one in education.
3.
Got married and moved to Utah with her husband where she began teaching middle school chemistry.
4.
Attended Wayne State University where she received her master’s degree in chemistry.
5.
Moved to Detroit, MI to accept a teaching position at Detroit Country Day School, a private college preparatory school—she taught chemistry and coached track there for over 20 years.
6.
In 2013, she started her first company, OChemPrep, an online preparation program designed to help students succeed in college organic chemistry, but it only lasted one summer.
7.
Inspired by the idea of teaching digitally and using technology to better help students, she started her second company, Alchemie, which creates digital tools for students to learn chemistry concepts.
8.
In 2016, she earned the James Bryant Conant Award, the highest honor given to a high school teacher by the American Chemical Society.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Family:
Why are you giving up your good job with benefits?
How I responded:
When I was first starting my company and made the decision to quit my teaching job, my husband doubted that decision. He was very rightfully scared and worried that it wouldn't work out and that we would struggle (which we did for a while). Ultimately, I knew it would work out and just committed to trusting my intuition. He came around eventually!
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
For 14 years, I was a mom and teacher. After my kids went to college, I didn't have the same passion towards being a teacher anymore and I wanted something of my own. Transitioning away from teaching came with a lot of struggles, but it was worth it.
My husband and I put a lot of our own money into the company upfront in order to fund it. Eventually, we came to a point where development needed to be done and we didn't have any more money. I received a grant, which helped us keep going.