Hello, I'm Julian Napolitan.

Welcome to juliannapolitan.com!

I started this site as a shameless display of my web development skills, but it quickly turned into a hub for my personal info / professional portfolio / blog / pretty much anything I could think of with the ability to be published electronically.

I hope you'll take a look around my site and feel free to interact a little (create a user account, comment on my blog, contact me with questions, or anything else that moves you.) You can continue on this page to read more about my past, present, and future, or you can check out some of my work, read my blog, or just shoot me an email if you don't feel like hanging around.

Either way, thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you back here soon (your IP address, that is.)

Where I've Been.

I was born on May 24th, 1984 at a hospital in the outskirts of Chicago, IL. My mother and father, originally from Pennsylvania, quickly moved to Lititz, PA before I began making conscious memories. When I was in 3rd grade, my family and I moved to State College, PA while my father completed his PhD at Penn State University. Three years later, we moved to Lancaster, PA where I attended school from 6th grade on. I have always had what some call a "nerdy" interest in technology, but it was in my Graphic Design courses at Hempfield High School that I realized I wanted to make my career in technology.

After looking at several different undergraduate programs and various universities, I decided to enroll in the Media Communication & Technology program at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. I chose this program because it gave me the opportunity to explore several aspects of technology including web and graphic design, sound and video production, television studio production, photography, multimedia development, and more. When it came time to do my internship, I chose a position in web design and development in order to fulfill my hunger for creativity in what I hoped would be a lucrative career.

Where I Am.

Upon my graduation from ESU in May 2007, I began working full time as an ecommerce administrator for a national poster and accessory retailer, Beyond the Wall. I gained valuable experience there generating HTML marketing emails, updating online products, and SEO'ing product meta data. After being employed there for some time, I decided to leave the town I attended college in to pursue greater opportunities.

In July of 2008, I set out on a cross-country road trip to explore America's greatest national parks and cities alike in search of finding a place I could call home. I traveled everywhere from Acadia National Park in Maine to Glacier National Park in Montana, cutting down through New Mexico and up through Colorado in between. Once in the Pacific Northwest, I traveled down through Washinton, Oregon, and California before settling in sunny San Diego. The experiences I gained through travling those months, visiting friends from all eras of my life in places I never thought I would be, changed my outlook on life. I no longer consider any goals out of arms reach or any situation too grounding to rise above in hopes of something better.

Where I'm Going.

Presently, I'm working as a freelance web developer specializing in content management system integration as well as enrolled in San Diego State University's EDTEC Master's program. It's my goal to pursue a career in education so that I can satisfy my desire to teach technology in a higher education environment, something I 'm very passionate about. I'm very excited about the prospect of opportunities that a Master's degree in Educational Technology will open for me, and I've been working very hard toward making that happen so I can move on to the next episode of my life with the tools and credentials needed to be where I see myself five years from now.

As far as my distant future is concerned, I'm still debating the notion of a PhD in Instructional Technology or a similar field, but it is too soon to tell if that's the path I will eventually take. It's important to me that I never stop learning or experiencing things in order to better my life substantially and have a greater impact on society through my own personal experiences. I'm looking forward to wherever my life takes me, as it has only been getting better as each year passes.