Julia La Roche has been announced as the Fuqua School commencement speaker. She graduated from Fuqua School in 2006.

In high school, she captained the varsity cross-country, swim and track teams. During her senior year, she earned All-State Honors for track in the mile. La Roche was also active in the Future Business Leaders of America and served as the state’s president of the organization. La Roche states, “I’m grateful for the education I received at Fuqua School, not only inside the classroom with that truly one-on-one experience, but also from the sports I played and the organizations I joined. Fuqua School taught me leadership and teamwork early on.”

La Roche currently resides in New York City, where she has worked as a reporter for the last seven years. A major in Journalism and Mass Communications, La Roche graduated in 2010 from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She currently serves as a senior writer and on-air reporter for Yahoo Finance. Her on-camera interviews include Starbucks chairman emeritus Howard Schultz, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone, Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio, DoubleLine Capital CEO Jeffrey Gundlach, Pershing Square Capital CEO Bill Ackman, former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, current Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, former Legendary Entertainment CEO Thomas Tull, Alibaba vice chairman Joe Tsai, and many more.

Previously, La Roche established herself as a finance reporter with Business Insider. Outside of the office, La Roche volunteers with the New York Junior League. She is also a member of the New York City Parks Mounted Auxiliary, a volunteer patrol of equestrians serving as the “eyes and ears” of the city parks.

In 2014, La Roche was crowned Miss New York and competed in the Miss United States pageant. She is also a two-time New York City Marathon finisher. Julia has made several television appearances on ABC’s “Good Morning America, Fox News, “Hannity,” and CNBC’s, “The Closing Bell.”

La Roche stated, “I couldn’t believe it when Mr. Melton called to ask me to be this year’s commencement speaker. I’m honored and can’t wait to return to campus. My only hope is that I can share with the graduating students some of the keys to success that I’ve found the most impactful in my own life and career.”