When I came to Carleton in July 2015, I received a plate of cookies, a list of songs, and a warm welcome from Julia Uleberg-Swanson, the long-time program coordinator for the Dacie Moses House. She invited me to the weekly brunches at Dacie’s and into the Dacie’s community. As Julia’s official time at Carleton comes to an end, I want to thank her. Maya Angelou once wrote, “Thank you, always say thank you; it’s the greatest gift you can give someone; because thank you is what you say to God.”
Julia has had a profound impact on my time at Carleton. Each week, I trekked to Dacie’s to drop off fresh vegetables and fruits from Open Hands Farms with the excuse that I needed help with canning apricots or wanted to participate in one of Julia’s beet parties. She never questioned why I really spent so much time at the house. I think that she understood, deep down, that I needed to be in her presence and feel the warmth that she exuded. She’d send me thoughtful text messages and sometimes a recorded song or two. Occasionally, she’d leave cookies outside my front door.
I was just one of many individuals with whom she shared such grace. It was often the student in search of deeper meaning who sought solace with Julia and Dacie’s Whenever a student has needed a home away from home, a thoughtful conversation, a recipe or two, or a place to study and gather, Julia has always been there for them. With her unending support of the entire Carleton community, Julia has sustained the Dacie Moses tradition of hospitality and left her own legacy.
Please join me in saying, Thank you, Julia.