Julia Rosengren Tabbed As NGWSD Recipient

ORLANDO – Each year in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, UCF Athletics selects one member of the UCF community to recognize for their support of its women's athletics programs. This year, UCF has tabbed Julia Rosengren as the NGWSD recipient.
 
"I'm honored to be chosen as this year's National Girls and Women In Sports honoree. I love the values learned through participation in sports, not only for entertainment, but also the opportunities they provide, especially for young girls and women. Work ethic, confidence and teamwork are skills developed through playing sports," said Julia Rosengren.
 
Julia, who received the John C. and Martha Hitt Honorary Alumni Award in 2019, and her husband Jim have been proud fans of UCF Athletics over the years. In the spring of 2020, the Rosengrens made a $100,000 gift in support of the UCF Volleyball and UCF Women's Soccer programs. A portion of the gift was used for the newly unveiled women's soccer locker room in the Roth Athletics Center, along with graphics and team meeting room enhancements in the building. The remaining funds are available for use at the discretion of the head coach to enhance student-athlete experience for volleyball student-athletes and strategic priorities of the program.
 
The Rosengrens have a history of philanthropic leadership at UCF. They previously committed $275,000 to underwrite construction Field Cabanas and the new J & J Rosengren Lounge at the Bouncehouse. Jim Rosengren, a 1981 UCF graduate, and Julia made a  $6.6 million commitment to UCF in 2018. This commitment is one of the largest commitments from an alumnus in UCF history.
 
While the commitment supports many areas at UCF, $1 million of this gift was earmarked for UCF RESTORES -- UCF's PTSD clinic-- in 2016. Jim, an Army veteran himself, said the cause was close to his heart, especially after his son Josh returned after two tours in Iraq with severe PTSD, along with some physical wounds. An additional $1 million commitment was directed to UCF Athletics in support of the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village capital projects initiative. In response, the Knights named the gameday football locker room in honor of the couple who lives in Texas.
 
A native of a small, northern Brazilian town of Timbuaba, Julia has traveled the world and speaks nine languages, but the driving force in her life has been philanthropy and service to others. Julia became the third NGWSD recipient, joining Phyllis Klock and Merrell Bailey.