As someone who has been involved with athletics for her whole life, new Administrative Assistant for Athletics Julie Friend has joined the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Athletic Department with a breadth of experience.

Friend has previously worked in positions similar to the one she will have at SPA: she served as an administrative assistant at Robb Stauber’s Goalcrease in Edina and as an Athletics Administrative Assistant at St. Cloud Technical and Community college. The role of  the administrative assistant at SPA includes tasks such as managing athlete information on Veracross (including updating team rosters and schedules), maintaining scores on the MSHSL and IMAC conference websites for SPA teams, and acting as a liaison between the athletic director, parents, and athletes. 

After coaching hockey camps at Drake Arena for the past three summers, she has found that she loves the St. Paul area. Not only does she feel comfortable in the area, but also with the people who will be her colleagues at SPA. “Ever since my initial contact with Dawn, Mike and other staff members at SPA, I’ve felt incredibly welcome. I think a big part of loving what you do is enjoying the people you are around and interact with on a daily basis,” Friend said.

As for her goals for the athletic department, Friend hopes to make sure everyone is having a good time, whether it be a coach or student-athlete. “ I think a few of the biggest things I’m hoping to achieve is to help make the athletics department as strong as it can be and in return making the student-athletes and coaches jobs as enjoyable as possible,” Friend said.

Friend played NCAA Division-1 ice hockey at St. Cloud State University, where she worked hard as a student-athlete. Having first hand experience with what it is like to be a student-athlete, she will bring an important perspective to the athletic administration. “I had a strong presence in athletics both in high school and collegiately, I know I will be able to connect with the students on a student-athlete basis and hopefully be able to be a mentor to some,” Friend said.

“I’m excited to meet the students, staff, coaches and the community in general and look forward to further improve the culture at SPA,” Friend said.