Where Are They Now? Julie Orlandi
7/22/2020 11:00:00 AM | Softball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Softball alumna flies helicopters in the U.S. Navy
On August 28, 2013, LT Julie Orlandi took to the sky in her U.S. Navy training Cessna, fulfilling a long-held dream with her first solo flight.
Upon her return, Orlandi took part in a time-honored pilot tradition: The Maryland native signed the shirt she wore on her inaugural "solo" in block lettering before hanging it on the wall of the briefing room at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
That's how a black GW softball t-shirt entered the collection of mementos left by first-time aviators making an important step in their military training.
Nearly seven years later, Orlandi can't be certain if the souvenir from her career in Buff and Blue remains on display, but she's glad she was able to mark a meaningful milestone by uniting two of her passions.
Throughout her time at GW, Orlandi expertly balanced both: The second baseman helped stoke the softball team's rapid improvement while excelling as a member of the NROTC program on campus.
Since graduating with a Mathematics degree in 2013, Orlandi has leaned on that experience in serving our country as a Navy helicopter pilot. She has twice served deployments supporting Destroyer ships abroad flying the MH-60R before moving into her current tour last spring as an instructor pilot with the fleet replacement squadron HSM-40 on Naval Station Mayport in Florida.
"I'm just very grateful for the opportunity," Orlandi said. "It's something I've wanted to do for a large part of my life, and I really enjoy it. I think it's a very rewarding, gratifying career. I can't say I'm bored very often. That's a great thing."
The daughter of a Navy submariner, Orlandi arrived at GW with clear goals in mind, and she put in the work over four years to make them reality.
Representing the Colonials, Orlandi was part of a class that left a tremendous legacy of determination. As first-years in 2010, the group won just six games, but they developed together to rise up the A-10 ranks, highlighted by a charge to the program's first conference final in 2012.
"I think over the years the one thing that really changed was just the team dynamic," said Orlandi, who wrapped her career ranked third in program history with 186 games played. "We all got very close as teammates and not only worked hard for ourselves but worked hard for each other."
All the while, Orlandi was dedicated to her NROTC training, putting in additional early-morning workouts and tackling the extra coursework required.
She credits her officers in the program with offering her flexibility and encouraging her to stick with softball throughout, which made for a non-stop schedule and ultimately excellent training for what was to come.
"Going right into flight school after graduation, it's a very similar concept," Orlandi said. "It's all about managing your time. Devoting as much time as you need to study because there's a lot of studying, there's a lot of training involved.
"It's all very time consuming. A lot of people struggle with that, just understanding 'Hey, I need to, no kidding, devote this much time every day to studying.' I think definitely having to juggle a lot in college set me up for success there and gave me the tools I needed to do well in flight school."
Orlandi officially "got her wings" – recognizing the Aircrew badge given to flight school graduates  –  in March 2015 and embarked on a career flying the MH-60R. It's a helicopter that performs a variety of Naval functions, including hunting submarines, carrying weaponry and search and rescue.
Orlandi started out with HSM-35 at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego before deploying for the first time in 2017 in support of the USS Shoup patrolling the Arabian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
Her most recent deployment came with the USS Dewey in the Pacific, which included a series of training exercises with South Korean forces and eventually took her around Japan to the South China Sea.
Asked the best part of her job, Orlandi didn't hesitate: "Flying, hands down!"
But as a helicopter pilot, she's also found a good fit for her background, working in an environment that requires constant teamwork. In flight, she's working with a co-pilot and several aircrewmen, while the detachment at sea is a tight-knit group that includes six pilots, three aircrewman and a maintenance crew of about 20 to work on the helicopters.
"Getting to know all these different types of people from all over the country and getting to work with them has been an awesome experience," Orlandi said. "I've learned so much about different people. It's very eye-opening."
Whether stationed near or far, Orlandi does her best to keep up with the Buff and Blue via social media. She has a unique appreciation for the program's continued progress, a recent run highlighted by winning a share of its first A-10 title in 2019.
"Every time I see how successful they are I just always think back to my freshman year and just really how far the team has come and how much it has transformed," said Orlandi, who has recently dusted off her softball skills playing on a slow-pitch team on her base. "It's great to see that these girls are having awesome seasons, and not only that, the outside world is recognizing that, as well."
Upon her return, Orlandi took part in a time-honored pilot tradition: The Maryland native signed the shirt she wore on her inaugural "solo" in block lettering before hanging it on the wall of the briefing room at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
That's how a black GW softball t-shirt entered the collection of mementos left by first-time aviators making an important step in their military training.
Nearly seven years later, Orlandi can't be certain if the souvenir from her career in Buff and Blue remains on display, but she's glad she was able to mark a meaningful milestone by uniting two of her passions.
Throughout her time at GW, Orlandi expertly balanced both: The second baseman helped stoke the softball team's rapid improvement while excelling as a member of the NROTC program on campus.
Since graduating with a Mathematics degree in 2013, Orlandi has leaned on that experience in serving our country as a Navy helicopter pilot. She has twice served deployments supporting Destroyer ships abroad flying the MH-60R before moving into her current tour last spring as an instructor pilot with the fleet replacement squadron HSM-40 on Naval Station Mayport in Florida.
"I'm just very grateful for the opportunity," Orlandi said. "It's something I've wanted to do for a large part of my life, and I really enjoy it. I think it's a very rewarding, gratifying career. I can't say I'm bored very often. That's a great thing."
The daughter of a Navy submariner, Orlandi arrived at GW with clear goals in mind, and she put in the work over four years to make them reality.
Representing the Colonials, Orlandi was part of a class that left a tremendous legacy of determination. As first-years in 2010, the group won just six games, but they developed together to rise up the A-10 ranks, highlighted by a charge to the program's first conference final in 2012.
"I think over the years the one thing that really changed was just the team dynamic," said Orlandi, who wrapped her career ranked third in program history with 186 games played. "We all got very close as teammates and not only worked hard for ourselves but worked hard for each other."
All the while, Orlandi was dedicated to her NROTC training, putting in additional early-morning workouts and tackling the extra coursework required.
She credits her officers in the program with offering her flexibility and encouraging her to stick with softball throughout, which made for a non-stop schedule and ultimately excellent training for what was to come.
"Going right into flight school after graduation, it's a very similar concept," Orlandi said. "It's all about managing your time. Devoting as much time as you need to study because there's a lot of studying, there's a lot of training involved.
"It's all very time consuming. A lot of people struggle with that, just understanding 'Hey, I need to, no kidding, devote this much time every day to studying.' I think definitely having to juggle a lot in college set me up for success there and gave me the tools I needed to do well in flight school."
Orlandi officially "got her wings" – recognizing the Aircrew badge given to flight school graduates  –  in March 2015 and embarked on a career flying the MH-60R. It's a helicopter that performs a variety of Naval functions, including hunting submarines, carrying weaponry and search and rescue.
Orlandi started out with HSM-35 at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego before deploying for the first time in 2017 in support of the USS Shoup patrolling the Arabian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
Her most recent deployment came with the USS Dewey in the Pacific, which included a series of training exercises with South Korean forces and eventually took her around Japan to the South China Sea.
Asked the best part of her job, Orlandi didn't hesitate: "Flying, hands down!"
But as a helicopter pilot, she's also found a good fit for her background, working in an environment that requires constant teamwork. In flight, she's working with a co-pilot and several aircrewmen, while the detachment at sea is a tight-knit group that includes six pilots, three aircrewman and a maintenance crew of about 20 to work on the helicopters.
"Getting to know all these different types of people from all over the country and getting to work with them has been an awesome experience," Orlandi said. "I've learned so much about different people. It's very eye-opening."
Whether stationed near or far, Orlandi does her best to keep up with the Buff and Blue via social media. She has a unique appreciation for the program's continued progress, a recent run highlighted by winning a share of its first A-10 title in 2019.
"Every time I see how successful they are I just always think back to my freshman year and just really how far the team has come and how much it has transformed," said Orlandi, who has recently dusted off her softball skills playing on a slow-pitch team on her base. "It's great to see that these girls are having awesome seasons, and not only that, the outside world is recognizing that, as well."
Softball Gratitude Video
Monday, November 28
NFCA All-American Sierra Lange
Wednesday, June 22
Elana Meyers Taylor Heads to Fourth Olympics
Friday, February 11
Elana Meyers Taylor Heads to Fourth Olympic Games
Friday, February 11