NOTE: This is one in a series of articles on Brock’s 2025-26 Horizon Graduate Student Scholarship recipients. Read other stories in the series on The Brock News.

There is a Latin phrase that has always stood out to Julia Miller: “Mens sana in corpore sano,” which means “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” The sentiment inspired her explore Classical scholarship and today’s growing interest in wellness and athleticism.

As someone who values health, physical activity and community, Miller is integrating her background in human kinetics and weight training into her Master of Arts in Classics.

Through her research, she explores how ancient societies grappled with human health and limits, shedding light on enduring ethical questions about technology, well-being and excellence that continue to shape modern sport and medical care.

She is particularly interested in the intersections of ancient sport medicine, the portrayal of Greco-Roman athletics training and muscular in sculpture, and ancient regimens for physical and psychological optimization and their impact on community identity.

“I think it’s eye-opening to learn just how much Greco-Roman culture influences our modern athletic activities. We go to gyms, we run marathons and we watch the Olympics with fervor every four years — these all trace back to Ancient Greece,” she said.

Miller recently received a Horizon Graduate Student Scholarship in recognition of her dedication to learning and research as well as her strong desire to build and foster community everywhere she goes.

Coming from an athletic background, Miller grew up practicing judo, kendo, taekwondo, competitive aerobic gymnastics and Olympic weight training — a barbell workout featuring intense full body movement — all embodied experiences that inform her research.

“I am particularly interested in training programs of ancient athletes including their diets, the intensity of their workouts and the consumption of possible sport performance enhancements,” she said.

Horizon Graduate Student Scholarship recipient Julia Miller is motivated to help foster supportive and inclusive environments on campus as Mental Health Champion and Training Assistant at Brock’s Zone Fitness Centre.

Miller is also fascinated with how ancient traditions such the Olympic Games and Gladiator games have shaped historical understandings of physical excellence and how they continue to inspire modern ideas of fitness and idealism.

She hopes to add to the research on ancient athletic techniques, from strength training programs to nutrition to mental health.

“Ancient athletes knew to have protein and carbohydrates in their diet and touted the benefits of strength training, for example. Now that we have the science-backed data to prove these benefits, it’s important to connect the dots between classical scholarship and today’s growing interest in wellness and athleticism,” she said.

Miller’s work also aims to highlight voices that are often “invisible” in the ancient sports world, including women and girls.

“Female representation in ancient athletics took specific forms, particularly in Sparta and later in the Roman world. By examining training, races and chariot victories, I want to shed light on their lived experiences,” she said.

Her research has a direct impact on how she lives her own life, especially as it relates to community and improving mental wellness for herself and others.

She is motivated to help foster supportive and inclusive environments as Mental Health Champion and Training Assistant at Brock’s Zone Fitness Centre and is involved in many Classics and Archaeology events.

“In our department, there is a familial connection. Everyone is so kind and generous with their knowledge and passion,” she said.

Miller is also a member of the Humanities Graduate Student Symposium committee, a role she is keen to take on to help amplify the work of Brock’s graduate students.

“I just want to help people. Whether that be through supporting my community, through my research, or working in recreation spaces helping people meet their goals, I see myself making positive contributions in all these spaces,” she said.

According to Miller, humans today are more like the ancient Greeks and Romans than one might think, with shared values and goals of leading healthy, full and happy lives.

“Building community is really what it’s all about, from ancient to present times,” she said. “Brock is a special community I am thankful to be a part of.”