Julia Rapier '27 is the current Student Trustee of the St. Mary's College of Maryland Board of Trustees. As the representative of the St. Mary's student body, Rapier is passionate about community advocacy, transparent governance, and engaging with diverse perspectives to better the student experience and promote the longevity of the college.
On campus, Rapier is a double major in History and French & Francophone Studies with minors in Political Science and African & African Diaspora Studies. In Fall 2025, Rapier studied abroad in Cannes, France with the American Institute for Foreign Study at the Collège International de Cannes. She is currently working on her St. Mary's Project senior thesis, "The Eternal Empires: Extraction, Exploitation, and Violence in French and Belgian Imperial Continuity in sub-Saharan Africa, 1885-2025." She grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland and currently lives in Dunkirk, Maryland in northern Calvert County.
Along with being the Student Trustee, Rapier has ample leadership experience serving the student body in her daily life. She is a third-year Resident Assistant and a third-year member of the Academic Judicial Board. She is involved in Seahawks Advancing Graduate Engagement (SAGE) through the Office of Alumni Relations. She is also the History Student Ambassador, supporting students and faculty in the study of our historic campus and beyond. She has previously served as the Student Government Executive Board Secretary and Chief of Staff as well as a Student Government Senator. Rapier additionally was part of the inaugural class of Program Student Ambassadors as the International Language and Cultures French/Chinese Student Ambassador. She is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Alpha Theta, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Pi Delta Phi honors societies. She has published twice in St. Mary's Political Science Department Journal, Open Water: An Undergraduate Research Journal, with titles "Autocratic Aspirations: The End of Macky Sall's Senegal" and "A Crime Unnamed: Genocide Recognition and the Geopolitical Ego."
Rapier strongly encourages all students and campus community members to reach out regarding any questions or concerns about the college. She is here to serve you.