If you’ve ever been to a swim meet or a softball game at Palatine, there’s a good chance you’ve heard Julieta Ottati before you found her. She’s the one yelling loud enough to echo off the walls, hyping up her teammates, and clapping until her hands hurt. On days when her events didn’t go as well, she remained the loudest, most positive voice on the pool deck.
As a senior on varsity swim and varsity softball, Juli finished her last swim season going to sectionals, a culmination of years of early practices, long meets, and gradual improvement. But what most people talk about is not the records at all, but the energy and attitude she brings to everything, every day.
Like most athletes, Juli has gone through tough patches and high-pressure moments. For her, mental health has become a huge part of how she handles sports and life. When asked what she’ll take away the most from her years as a student-athlete, she didn’t mention wins or stats at all.
“Something I will take away is not the wins or records – it’s all the little memories made along the way, all the laughs, inside jokes, mistakes, and everything in between,” Ottati said. “I will take away that you are the only person who can decide what you’re worth, and no one can ever tell you you’re not enough, and I will continue to connect this to every aspect of my life.”
That is a mindset that didn’t just appear on its own. It came from real challenges. When asked about the hardest part of being a student-athlete, Juli was candid:
“Overcoming mental blocks and overcoming self-doubt,” she said. “Overcoming those two things was something that I worked toward every day because I never wanted to feel the way that I felt when I was once told I wasn’t enough.”
Despite that, she still shows up as one of the most supportive, uplifting athletes in the building. Whether she’s cheering for a teammate who’s nervous before their race, cracking jokes during warmups, or staying upbeat after her own tough meet, she’s built a reputation as someone who makes everyone else feel more confident.
Juli brings that same energy to softball, where her work ethic and consistency stand out. She isn’t loud for attention; she’s loud because she genuinely wants people to feel encouraged and seen.
Her advice to younger athletes mirrors everything she stands for.
“Always try your best, and don’t be scared to challenge yourself,” she said.
Coming from someone who’s spent her high school career battling doubt, finding her voice, and lifting others up, it carries weight. As she finishes senior year and looks toward what’s next, the impact Juli made extends far beyond what a scoreboard could show. It lives in the people she supported, the confidence she helped others find, and the reminder she leaves behind: your worth isn’t defined by a time, a record, or a stat– it’s defined by you.
