GCSU student, Julia Tarter, leaves lasting impact upon McIntosh students
MacKenzie McGraw
This paper is Julia’s journal entry from August 22 which was two days before her accident. Here, her words show the contentment and peace she felt. She writes, “I long for Heaven to be with my Jesus.” By being rooted in her strong faith, Julia continues, “My life is an overflow of how great my God is.”
It seems as though everyone strives to find meaning and contentment in life, so much so, in fact, that this search for contentment is often life’s greatest unanswered questions. Few are able to die of old age knowing that they have done all they can; even fewer can feel this peace at age 20.
Julia Tarter, a Georgia College and State University sociology major, passed away August 10, 2013, after a freak car accident. Not only was Julia heavily involved around GCSU’s campus as a Young Life leader for high schoolers in the community, as a member in her sorority Phi Mu and in her hometown of Atlanta at SafeHouse Outreach, but also she was involved in the lives of many McIntosh students who attended Camp WinShape.
Senior Hannah Todd, a WinShape attendee, said, “Julia was one of those people you just wanted to be around. Her energy was contagious, and you couldn’t help but smile when you were around her. Her joy in the Lord was evident, and she truly lived her life for Christ.” Hannah continued, “She made an impact on so many people, myself included. And I am so glad I got the opportunity of knowing her.”
Just as friends couldn’t help to smile when around her, friends think back to Julia’s smile, which was said to be her signature go-to face. Junior Annabelle Fortune said,”I have never seen anything other than a smile on Julia Tarter’s face. She is the sweetest person I have ever met and has the craziest dance moves I’ve ever seen.”
Her funeral was attended by more than 2,000 family members and friends at North Point Community Church and was viewed during a live streaming by over 600 additional people. Despite passing, her legacy lives on. Julia was an organ donor who ended up helping 58 other people; her heart went to a single mother of two children.
Friends and family reminisce upon their experiences with Julia and miss her smile, her obvious love for Christ and her ability to include everyone. Annabelle said, “She loved everyone and wanted them to feel included. She was my sister’s camp counselor at WinShape two summers ago and on opening night of camp, she introduced herself to me. The very next time she saw me, she remembered my name and gave me a hug. I would have never expected her to want to get to know me, her camper’s shy older sister, but that was Julia.”
Prominent pastor Andy Stanley spoke at her funeral at North Point Community Church and said, “The true value of a life is by how much is given away- Julia Tarter has shown us this.”
Annabelle continued, “She made more of an impact in her twenty years than I can dream of making in a lifetime. I am so blessed to have been a part of her life, and I can’t wait to see her again soon.”
Whether or not you knew Julia Tarter, we can all, despite religious views, take away at least one message from her brief 20 years: Giving more to others gets us closer to the contentment that we spend our life searching to attain.
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