Julian Moody, in dress shirt and tie, was preparing for what was possibly his umpteenth piano recital rehearsal. Football season is coming to an end, and he now has time to focus on the two instruments he plays, his karate classes and acquiring his advanced Regents diploma. In his St. Albans home, he looked modestly at his extensive collections of trophies.
“I just like having something to do. I don’t like sitting around the house,” said Moody, 17, a senior at Bayside High School. “I don’t like being bored.”
Bored is a word not frequently found in Moody’s vocabulary. Along with a perfect attendance record, after school he can be found practicing football, the piano, saxophone, karate, Spanish or French.
“I prefer him to be involved in something,” said Moody’s mother, Aura Moody. “He feels like he has to do something to give back to the community. I’m so proud of him.”
Since he was five years old, Moody has been playing the piano. His parents originally put him in classes, and Moody’s love for the keys pushed him through the years. He also dabbles with the clarinet, flute and saxophone.
“But football is my favorite,” he noted.
For the past 12 years, Moody has also excelled athletically, playing basketball as well as football. However, recently switching from lineman to quarterback, Moody has soared through the ranks, leading New York City high schools in touchdowns and passing yards. This year, he was named the All Borough Selection Quarterback by the Queens High School Football Coaches Association.
In early October, Moody suffered a sprain to his shoulder. Following physical therapy sessions to get him back on the field, something clicked, and the young athlete realized that physical therapy was something he wanted to pursue himself.
At school, he takes a physical therapy class, and hopes to study it in college as well.
In 2007, Moody was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and as a result takes insulin shots multiple times a day. Despite having to adjust his lifestyle, he has found a way to balance his condition and still remain the active member of the community that he has become.
Moody hopes that all of his extracurricular activities will enhance his character and make him a better-rounded individual. Aside from his music experience, he is fluent in Spanish, is studying French, is a black belt in karate and a certified karate instructor, has traveled to several different countries and has also worked with local elected officials.
For the past two summers, he has interned at Councilmember Leroy Comrie’s office, and this summer is set to work at Senator Malcolm Smith’s office.
With a schedule as busy as Moody’s, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. But the aspiring physical therapist coasts through the day with a clear head atop his shoulders.
“I’m just the type of person that doesn’t get mad, I stay calm,” he said, and believes it is this quality that allows him to get everything done.
As a high school senior, Moody also has college on the brain. He would like to play football, and has his eye on Albright College in Pennsylvania, CW Post and Southern Connecticut. He hopes to major in music, physical therapy or both.
“If I see good results with what I’m doing, it gives me a good feeling inside,” Moody simply said. “Doing well feels good, but I also think I can do better.”
