Tommies in Our Communities
Krystal Julius '08
Location: Minnetonka, MN
Tommies in Our Communities
Location: Minnetonka, MN
For Krystal Julius ’08, St. Thomas offered the perfect blend of opportunities and community. Growing up close to campus, she was excited to play women’s soccer and follow her mom’s encouragement to embrace Tommie purple – her mom’s favorite color. Once enrolled, she quickly found her path in Opus College of Business, majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing management.
Julius credits the scholarships she received with opening doors to transformative experiences. "Scholarships allowed me to take on an accelerated schedule for J-term winter classes and participate in a study abroad program in Málaga, Spain," she recalled. That flexibility gave her extra time her senior year to focus on career planning. Amid the uncertainty of the 2008 financial crisis, she leaned on the St. Thomas Career Development Center and industry connections to secure her first role at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
Seventeen years later, Julius has built a standout career as a wealth advisor at Merrill, earning national recognition including Forbes’ Top 100 Women Wealth Advisors, Barron’s Top 1200 and Top 100 Women Financial Advisors. Through it all, she credits St. Thomas with helping her grow into a confident, disciplined professional. "St. Thomas accelerated my confidence and independence. Navigating deadlines, balancing coursework as a student-athlete and working part-time helped me develop discipline and resilience," she said.
For Julius, St. Thomas’ mission of “all for the common good” is deeply personal. "When I hear 'common good,' I think: did my actions today make someone else’s day easier, better or more hopeful?" As a fiduciary, she strives to act with generosity, fairness and empathy in every client interaction.
Her advice to current Tommies is simple: embrace authentic connections. "Put down your phone, smile and greet the stranger walking across the quad from you," she said.
Outside of work, Julius stays active with figure skating, cheering on her sons in sports and expanding her Kindle reading list. She continues to value the lifelong friendships she formed at St. Thomas — including marrying a fellow Tommie in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas. Her purple journey has shaped every aspect of her life.
“St. Thomas accelerated my confidence and independence. Navigating deadlines, balancing coursework as a student-athlete and working part-time at a local bank developed discipline and resilience.”
“When I hear ‘common good,’ I think: did my actions today make someone else’s day easier, better or more hopeful? As the oldest of three children, caretaking is instinctual for me. In my career as an advisor, I serve as a fiduciary, so I look beyond my own interests and act with generosity, fairness and empathy.”
“Put down your phone, smile and greet the stranger walking across the quad from you. I have many long-term friendships, and I married a fellow Tommie in the campus chapel. My St. Thomas friends are very dear to me.”
“With AI, you have a significant advantage and can contribute to the workforce with quicker and faster delivery. However, I encourage or challenge students to rotate a phone call between emails, texts and Slack messages. In-person connection and voice inflection are still important for building relationships and problem-solving with your internal team, vendors, suppliers and customers.”
“The adjunct professors in the Opus College of Business elevated my class time and prepared me well for the transition from academia to the workplace. The network among Tommies is expansive and a strong community.”