Well-known for her laugh, steadfastness, and discerning critical thinking, English major and Professional and Creative Writing minor Julia Mehlin ’26 received the 2025-2026 Austin and Ruth Conley Scholarship, an annual fund gifted to a talented senior with a love of literature and writing. When she’s not pouring over the classics, Mehlin supports her peers as a writing consultant in the Academic Resource Center (ARC) and the College as an intern the Office of College Communications and Marketing (CCM). Her joyous lust for life can be felt across campus, whether she’s thumbing through intricately annotated novels or smiling at passersby.
“[Mehlin] is an outstanding student and a clear, sophisticated writer,” says Professor Meoghan Cronin. “Her academic success reflects her work ethic, to be sure, but it also reveals the great pleasure she takes in studying literature.” Cronin’s own zest for literature deeply inspired Mehlin not just as a student, but a writer.
“Professor Cronin’s enthusiasm for English is so inspiring—you can tell she loves it so much,” says Mehlin. “When a professor loves what they do and what they teach, it rubs off on students.” After taking Cronin’s course, The Brontës, Mehlin became enthralled by the world of Victorian literature and discovered her favorite book turned thesis focus, The Tenet of Wildfell Hall. Anne Brontë’s epistolary novel is revolutionary on its own, being one of the first to address domestic abuse and fleeing from spousal cruelty.
“I know they say, ‘don't write your thesis about your favorite book,’ but I just loved it so much,” says Mehlin, who deeply admires Brontë’s character development and plot complexity. Titled “Corruption vs Morality: How Arthur and Gilbert in Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Expose the Conflicting Nature of Man,” Mehlin’s thesis earned the highest score that Professor Bindu Malieckal had ever given in her history of teaching English Senior Seminar.
“It was a nearly perfect piece of writing,” says Malieckal.
Being recognized with the Conley Scholarship for her academic prowess and writing abilities flooded Mehlin with gratitude and humility. She attributes her persistence to three resilient women who empowered her choice to pursue her passions: her mother, Kathy Mehlin, and aunts Christine Rooney and Lisa Dumaine. Inspired by her mother’s diligence, Mehlin chose to dedicate the thesis to her.
“[My thesis] is a product of her. She helped make [college] happen for me and has been encouraging on my toughest days. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.” Overwhelmed by the positivity and kindness illustrated by family and professors, Mehlin beamed as she accepted the scholarship through sparkling tears of appreciation.
Hoping her next chapter begins with a career in editing, publishing, or journalism, earning the Conley Scholarship reiterated that Mehlin’s hard work on the Hilltop didn’t go unnoticed.
“If [literature and writing] something you love and you're passionate about it, [study] it - it will inspire the trajectory of your life.”