Alumni Spotlight: Ms. Julie Murphy
Ms. Julie Murphy graduated from South Dearborn High School in 1990 after spending her kindergarten through eighth grade years at Moores Hill Elementary. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Education at Northern Kentucky University and later her MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. Most recently, Ms. Murphy completed her Professional of Human Resources (PHR) Certification and became a Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) by the Society of Human Resources Management.
This month marks her 10th anniversary as an employee of Ivy Tech Community College, where she currently serves as the Executive Director of Human Resources for the college’s Lawrenceburg, Batesville, Madison, and Columbus campuses.
Ms. Murphy has many happy memories of her years at South Dearborn High School and says most of them involve the people she met. “To this day I still have friendships with my former teachers and administrators,” she said. “They really knew what I needed and how to push me.”
In the years since she graduated, Ms. Murphy has seen significant changes within the South Dearborn school system. She notes the many new programs, course offerings, and opportunities for student support. Both of her daughters attended and graduated from South Dearborn High School, so she has seen the improvements firsthand. Her daughter Rachel graduated in 2009 and Delaney graduated in 2015. Both played varsity softball and were members of teams that won various championships.
Ms. Murphy and her husband Pat were avid supporters of South Dearborn women’s softball. Pat was a former Physical Education and Health teacher at South Dearborn High School and Aurora Elementary, and the Murphys both made improving the softball facilities a personal mission. In 2012 and 2014, Ms. Murphy wrote two grants and was awarded $50,000 by the Dearborn County Community Foundation. The money went to softball field improvements including fencing around the perimeter, a press box, dugouts, and more.
These days, Ms. Murphy is proud to see her alma mater put an increased focus on giving students opportunities for higher education. And because of South Dearborn’s dual credit partnership with Ivy Tech Community College, she gets to interact with many students who, like her, call South Dearborn High School their former home.