Julie is a Minister's Assistant at Vista Buddhist Temple in northern San Diego County, where she regularly teaches classes on Buddhism and Jodo Shinshu and offers dharma talks. She is also a graduate student at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California, pursuing a Certificate in Shin Buddhist Studies as part of her continuing preparation for ordination in the Jodo Shinshu tradition.
She holds a B.S. in Psychology, Religious Studies, and Sociology from the University of Oregon and has worked in the technology industry for more than twenty-five years (spanning search technologies, cancer diagnostics, e-commerce, and large scale gaming platforms).
Her interests include lived religion, how Dharma is encountered in everyday life, and educational approaches that help people move from understanding Buddhist teachings to experiencing them for themselves.
Julie's Buddhist name, Jikyo, means "Compassionate Teaching". She received her name from the Gomonshu, during a Kikyoshiki ceremony at the Nishi Betsuin in Los Angeles, in 2019.