Juliannie Ayala spends much of her time thinking about stories.
As a Marketing and Communications Associate at The Charles River Campus of UMass Amherst, she helps shape how people understand a place, a mission, and an opportunity. Outside of work, she hosts Sincerely Juliannie, a letter-style podcast where she shares personal reflections on identity, culture, growth, and the experiences that connect us.
Long before Juliannie was telling stories professionally, she was discovering her own at the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Club.
“I’ve been going there since I was about eight years old,” she said. “When I think of Blue Hill specifically, I always think of my friends. I still am very close with them.”
What began as a place to go after school soon became a community that helped Juliannie imagine what was possible for her life.
“The staff especially helped me along my high school journey, my college journey, my post-grad journey,” she said. “They were always involved in my life.”
As a teen, Juliannie became a Junior Staff member, her first job and an early introduction to workplace skills, responsibility, and college preparation.
“Just being able to learn those professional skills from a very early age was super helpful,” she said.
That support continued through the pandemic, when the Club stayed connected to members remotely. Through Ready to Work, Juliannie gained internship experience and was introduced to podcasting, an early spark that would later grow into one of her own creative passions.
“When someone asks me, ‘How has the Boys and Girls Club helped me?’ I’m always saying, I can’t even think of a time where they didn’t,” she said.
After high school, Juliannie went on to UMass Amherst, where she earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism and Legal Studies. As a first-generation college student, she continued to rely on BGCB along the way.
“The Boys and Girls Club connected me to scholarship opportunities and just always made sure to keep tabs on all of their alums,” she said. “As a first-generation student, that comes with so many challenges in itself, but I will never forget the support they gave me.”
Journalism appealed to her love of stories and the freedom of a field that could lead anywhere. Legal Studies fed her curiosity about the systems and decisions that shape people’s lives. But like many recent graduates, she came out of college unsure how either degree would translate into a career.
“The biggest question that a lot of post-grad students get is, ‘What’s next?’” she said. “And I literally didn’t know what was next.”
Juliannie was freelancing, applying for jobs, and trying to find her footing in a difficult entry-level job market when KJ Grubbs, Executive Director of the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Club, connected her with CareerLabs, BGCB’s alumni career program. CareerLabs supports BGCB alumni ages 18 to 24 as they navigate college, employment, training, and the early stages of their careers.
Working with Dana Smith, Hamza Abdul, and Jaylen Hassell at CareerLabs changed the way Juliannie approached her job search. Rather than focusing only on job titles, they helped her understand how she worked, what kind of environment would help her thrive, and how the skills she had built through college, internships, the Club, and her own creative work could translate across industries.
“Hamza was very supportive,” Juliannie said. “He was asking me questions that could help them better understand how I function and how I can work in my desired field.”
Before connecting with CareerLabs, she sometimes felt stuck between her two majors, wondering whether she needed to work directly in journalism or legal studies for her education to matter.
“They always remind you, you’re a journalist, so you have this skill, this skill, and this skill. You’re also a Legal Studies major, and you also have this skill, this skill, and this skill,” she said. “You really have to think beyond the degree. You have to think about the skills that you’ve obtained and the relationships and connections that you made.”
Today, Juliannie is putting those skills to work at The Charles River Campus of UMass Amherst, her alma mater, where she is helping shape a new marketing and communications position. Though marketing was new territory, her background in storytelling and digital media gave her a foundation to build upon.
Alongside her professional role, Juliannie continues to build Sincerely Juliannie, a podcast structured as a series of personal letters to her audience, touching on topics that feel honest, reflective, and rooted in community.
“Having a professional marketing career while trying to build a brand for myself and my podcast has been a challenge,” she said. She credits the people around her with keeping her grounded. “They remind me of my strength, resilience, and worth, so I know I have to keep going.”
For Juliannie, the podcast is not about chasing numbers. It is about reaching the right person at the right time. “It’s not about how many people are watching it,” she said. “It’s about who watched it and who it impacted.” That belief reflects another lesson she carries from the Club: relationships matter.
“The biggest skill that I’ve really honed in on from the Boys and Girls Club was networking and the value of connections and relationships,” Juliannie said.
Her advice to current Club members and graduating seniors is simple and direct. “Never forget where you came from,” she said. “Always fall back on the support that you know you have.” She also wants young people to know that uncertainty is normal, and that asking for help is not a weakness. “You don’t have to do everything by yourself,” she said. “Closed mouths don’t get fed.”
Journalism led to marketing. Legal Studies shaped her curiosity and perspective. A post-grad job search led her to CareerLabs. And her college experience eventually led her back to UMass, this time as a professional.
Looking back, she sees how the pieces are beginning to connect.
“Because of the Club,” Juliannie said, “I am on the path that I know I’m meant to be on.”
