IUN News
Juliette Keller
Juliette Keller
Mon, Dec 21, 2009 - [Women's Basketball]

This week I sat down with one of the leading scorers on the Lady RedHawks, Juliette Keller. She moved from San Diego to Kouts, Indiana when she was eight, and she spends her time off the court and outside the classroom indulging in crafts. She hopes to graduate with a degree in Actuary Sciences.

 
Where were you born and raised?
 
I was born in San Diego and I moved to Kouts when I was eight-ish.
 
What was San Diego like?
 
Huge. The weather was always warm. There were lots of things to do and then I moved to a corn field. [laughs]
 
What kind of sports did you play in school?
 
I played volleyball, basketball, and track-all female squads.

What inspired you to play all those sports?

 
Well, my dad was a big athlete. He went to Valpo high school and played football at West Point. It runs in the family, I guess.
 
You balance your academics really well with the athletics. How do you do that?
 
I'm here all the time because I have class during the day and basketball at night. In between class and basketball, I study. I'm very organized and kind of anal. [laughs]
 
What's your major?
 
Actuary Science
 
What's that?

They work for insurance companies. They do annuities, rates of return, stuff like that. They determine health insurance for an older person based on their health record.

 
How large is the program?
 
There are about eight people. [laughs]
 
What do you want to do with that when you get out of school?
 
Be an actuary.
 
So you want to go directly into the field?
 
Well, that's the plan. It might not work out that way.
 
The Lady RedHawks haven't gotten off to as strong a start as many people were expecting. Why is that?
 
In my opinion, there's not balanced scoring. We have one All-American player, but she can't score 70 points a game. We need more people to step up.
 
What makes a winning basketball team?
 
Hard work, determination, and heart
 
Does the team have all three of those this year?
 
I think that we don't realize our potential. We could be 11 and 0 given the talent we have on our team. We have talent on the court and on the bench. [Shelton] could play any person that we have and we would do well.
 
What are some of your hobbies?
 
Besides basketball, which takes up a lot of my time, I like doing crafts. My grandma is a big craft-person and she makes these pictures out of rose petals. She dries the rose petals, and then makes scenic pictures out of them. She taught me how to do that. I don't do it a lot, but I do cross stitching and painting.
 
How long does it take to make one of the rose petal pictures?
 
It takes about thirteen hours.
 
What's a night out for you and your friends?
 
We'd probably eat; I like to eat. [laughs]
 
What's your favorite food?
 
I like Italian food.
 
What kind of movies do you like?
 
I like action movies, like "Transformers." I also like crime-spy movies, like "Mr. and "Mrs. Smith." That's like my favorite movie of all time. I like all the gadget-y stuff.
 
What about "Inspector Gadget"?
 
No, he's just weird.
 
What about James Bond?
 
Yes, I like James Bond.
 
Do you like music?
 
Yes.
 
Tell me more.
 
I used to play trumpet in high school.
 
Did you enjoy it?
 
I guess, yeah. It's kind of nerdy, but eh.
 
What kind of music do you listen to?
 
I like rap, I like rock. I like R&B and Top 20.
 
What are your personal goals?
 
Well, I always like to get better. I'd like to consistently score.
 
What about outside of basketball?
 
I hope to graduate. My goal is to pass all of my actuary exams.
 
What's your advice for future RedHawks basketball players?
 
Work hard and expect to do good because you can do anything that you set your mind to.