Alumni Spotlight: Julie Nisbet
11/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Former Michigan water polo player Julie Nisbet (2001-04) lists among the first standout players in Wolverine program history. A Team 1 original, Nisbet was a three-time AWPCA All-America honorable mention selection and garnered CWPA first team honors in each of her collegiate seasons. She still ranks among U-M's scoring leaders with 143 goals. The Wolverines captured three division titles during Nisbet's tenure and advanced to the 2002 NCAA Championship, claiming fourth place -- still a program best -- in U-M's second year of varsity status.
A native of Santa Barbara, California, Nisbet has returned to her native state, currently serving as a web developer for new start-up NeonMob, an online marketplace for digital art, based in San Francisco.
Q. What sold you on Michigan? It was a brand new program. What was the big attraction for you to come out here and be a part of a new program?
A. It was my recruiting trip. I heard about Michigan, because my sister told me that they were starting a program and that I should think about it. Amber [Drury-Pinto] approached me and brought me out on a recruiting trip. I had done a couple other recruiting trips, and they had been fine. But on this one, I just had a blast. There is just something about Ann Arbor and the warmth of Ann Arbor -- not the actual warmth. It was the feeling of everyone wearing a Michigan shirt. Everyone just has so much pride. I think it was a late recruiting trip, because Amber was recruiting way until the last day of class if I remember. Everyone was out and the weather was nice. The school spirit was just so strong, and I just knew as soon as I got into Ann Arbor that this was where I wanted to go to school. I knew it was a great school academically and had an amazing culture athletically, and I was just really excited about it. It also seemed like a fun challenge to start a program, come in without a whole lot of traditions already established and get to be a part of something new. That was exciting.
Q. Did you and your teammates take a lot of pride in being the first water polo team at Michigan?
A. Absolutely. To be fair though, there was a really strong club team before we started, and they were bumped up to varsity. There was already a pretty strong water polo culture there. Those players were really, really excited, and it was really exciting for all us freshmen coming in. It was nice to have that group of girls who already had a strong connection; they were really warm and brought us in. There was definitely a melding of worlds. The club girls had been struggling with funds and having to pay for everything themselves and struggling to get pool time, so I think there was just an extra appreciation for everything we got when you come to Michigan as a student-athlete. When we got our Speedo suits for the first time, or when your game suit ripped in a game and a coach would just throw you a new suit, we didn't take any of that for granted. We were all just so excited about it. It was a very cool environment.
Q. With California being a focal point in recruiting, do you believe in the idea of experiencing something new and different in college? I know that's part of our recruiting pitch. Is that how you felt about it too?
A. I grew up in Santa Barbara, which has UC Santa Barbra where my parents both worked. I had this strong UCSB connection which is a fantastic school, but you walk around UCSB and you see people wearing Stanford shirts and UCLA shirts and there isn't the same amount of pride. There are so many campuses in California that are isolated. You come to Ann Arbor, and it's just all Michigan. It's a classic Big Ten school. The school and the town are so interchangeable. Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan are basically one in the same. That played a huge part in my decision.
Q. San Francisco has one of the largest Michigan alumni groups. Are you at all active in that?
A. A little bit. They have game day locations where you can go and watch the football games with a million other Michigan alumni. It's amazing and so much fun. Even if you don't know anyone, you make friends immediately as soon as you walk in because everyone is there to watch the games. It's really great. I have been to a few athletic department get-togethers, which have been really fun too. You get to see old friends and people that you went to school.
Q. Do you still keep in touch with your teammates?
A. Yes, several of them. We had a huge freshman class, but by the end it was just the three of us -- me, Rachel [Burkons] and Stephanie [Rupp]. I still definitely keep in touch with them. The three of us were the first four-year varsity letterwinners. There were a ton of girls from different years that I definitely keep in touch with too. They are your friends for life. Even the girls that I don't keep in touch with regularly, if I see them it is like no time has passed. We can fall right back into it.
Q. So, what exactly is NeonMob?
A. NeonMob is a website for digital artwork. We basically commission artists to create limited edition artwork. Then we created a trading card game online which allows people to collect and trade these limited edition pieces. Essentially we are creating scarcity for digital artwork and will eventually create value for digital artwork. We would like to allow artists who make their work digitally to enable them to make money off of their artwork. It was a start-up and it was started by a good friend from high school. He brought me on about eight months ago now. I am the web developer, so, basically, I code.
Q. Is that all the grunt work?
A. Almost two years ago now, I decided to learn how to code. So, I did a 10-week coding boot camp and I have been coding since. It has been really fun, especially in San Francisco.
Q. What drew you to that?
A. It's something that I've always wanted to learn. It is a really satisfying combination of creativity with logic and problem solving. I was a math major and I just have a logical brain, so I get a ton of satisfaction out of basically solving problems all day. At the same time, NeonMob is such a beautiful site, and we have an amazing designer. I use logic to create beautiful things, which is really fun for me.
The recently created Office of Alumni Engagement strives to foster a community, recognize the holistic student-athlete and honor the great Michigan Athletics history. This alumni spotlight illustrates the impact that our alumni are having around the world and how they stay engaged with Michigan.
