Law student Julian Spiteri was only 19 years old when he died in a traffic accident just over a year ago. He left behind a wealth of goals and dreams that his parents are now trying to fulfil to continue his legacy 

Change the world, visit every country, see all Malta, start a business, skydive, see the sunset twice, milk a cow.

These are among the items on the bucket list of 19-year-old Julian Spiteri who planned to live life to the full and was passionate about reaching his full potential.

So when his life was tragically cut short in a traffic accident a year ago, his parents channelled their grief into continuing his legacy.

Adrian and Nadia Spiteri are committed to ticking every item off their son’s list – a list they found a few days after the accident, written neatly in pencil in a black notebook on his bedside table.

And, inspired by Julian’s commitment to be the best he could be and to make a difference, they recently set up the Julian’s Pathfinder Foundation to inspire and support young people to reach those goals.

“Julian had so much energy in him. He was always up to something,” said his mother.

“It was impossible that, in one instant, everything just stopped there. This is our way of continuing all the dreams he had. Having to leave us at such a young age, he can still leave his mark.”

His father added: “It’s helping us. Some people tell you: ‘you have to move on’. But we don’t want to move on. We want to keep his memory alive.”

Julian died when the car he was driving crashed into a tree in Triq tal-Infetti, Rabat, on April 18, 2021, at around 11am.

That Sunday morning Julian had met a friend and they went to Pama in Mosta and had a pancake.

“In those hours and days that followed, his room was our sanctuary,” his mother said in a gentle voice.

“We were going through his desk and bedside table and that’s where there was the notebook. That is how this all started,” her husband said.

“There were a lot of things we were discovering. Like his 13 ‘Rules for Life’ which we had not seen before. We published them into a calendar. Then there was the ‘Bucket List’. In a way it gave us purpose for the rest of our lives to tick off as many items.”

He wrote that bucket list when he was about 17.

Bringing people together

The list contains 26 items and while some can be ticked off by his parents, others require a more collaborative effort.

His parents started by roping in friends and relatives for the “Swim from Malta to Gozo” entry in September 2021.

That same month, Julian’s parents and his younger sister, Rachel, went to “See the Northern lights” in what was a “beautiful, magical and emotional experience”. They recently checked off “Run a Marathon”.

And friends, as well as strangers who learned about the bucket list, are helping tick off other items like “Visit every country” where people take photos of themselves in a country holding up a poster “I did if for Julian”.

“The nice thing is that is started with friends and people who knew Julian and now it includes strangers. It is bringing people together,” his mother says.

In the past year, Adrian and Nadia discovered more than the notebook. Pinned on a cork board near his desk they found a list titled: “Why I want to study/practice law”.

Julian, who was a second-year law student, took his career path very seriously and before considering law he had thought about other paths. The list was there to remind him why he had chosen law and was testament to how seriously he took his future contribution to the world.

Building bridges

His parents also found that Julian had published two school essays on medium.com.

The essays offered a window into his views on life. They were titled: ‘Do we have a moral duty to exceed ourselves?’ and ‘Does the best education happen outside the classroom?’

Written in 2018, the essays include statements such as “we must no longer blindly follow values, and should instead look within ourselves and discover our own purpose.”

In the second essay, he wrote: “Traditional education and informal learning work hand in hand. By helping young people apply their knowledge across a range of challenges, learning outside the classroom builds bridges between theory and reality, schools and communities, young people and their futures.”

All these factors – Julian’s dream of changing the world, his passion to reach his full potential and his belief in outside-the-classroom education – inspired an idea: The Julian Pathfinder Foundation was born, a registered voluntary organisation. The aim is to inspire and support young people find their purpose and shine.

The foundation will be organising two annual educational programmes: The Change the World Challenge and the Tech Start-Up Challenge.

But there is more.

A few months before the accident Julian had come across this childhood “book of inventions” that included his designs for a Floating Duck – a duck-shaped remote-controlled underwater floating drone – as well as his ideas to create an Inventaland, a park where children can invent their own stuff.

After having been contacted by several parents of gifted children, his parents took inspiration from Julian’s ideas to set up a Saturday morning club where children can meet each other and play together.

“We knew he was a thinker but we did not realise to what extent he was taking this and that he was putting it all down in writing,” his father says as he stops to reflect that even though Julian wrote the Rules for Life when he was 17, he unknowingly left instructions on how his family could move forward without him.

Because Julian’s rules include: “Set challenging but realistic goals” and “Stop trying to make sense of things which will never make sense.”

Anyone who wants to contribute or donate to the foundation can do so by visiting julianspathfinder.org. Donations go towards the work of the foundation and not for completing the bucket list.

Changing the world…

The first edition of the Julian’s Change the World Challenge will be held in July and will be themed Managing Climate Change.

Between July 4 and 6, a group of 12 students between the ages of 16 and 17 will participate in a three-day workshop. They will be selected from among applicants who will be asked to present their idea on how to effect local change to have a global impact in terms of climate change.

The 12 participants will attend workshops, coupled with fun events, and be mentored to present their ideas at the end to a board. Promising ideas may be offered further sponsorship and mentorship.

All participants will be offered three one-week paid internships at the sponsors of this event: EY, QPM and another major sponsor to be named soon. Applications close on May 15.

The first edition of the Tech Start-Up Challenge will he held between September 12 and 15. This year, it is themed Bionic Inventions. The workshops are open to students, aged between 13 and 16, who will be nominated by their school.

This is being carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Malta. Applications close on May 6. The event is sponsored by Deloitte and Melita.

For more information visit https://julianspathfinder.org/#upcoming-programmes.

Julian’s Bucket List

Write a book

Julian’s ‘Rules for Life’ have been published and there are plans to turn his writings into a book.

Live outside Malta

Check. Julian’s friends who are attending overseas educational programmes are doing it partly in his name.

Visit every country

Julian travelled to various countries including USA, Morocco, Macedonia, France, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden, England, Portugal, Bulgaria. The rest are being covered by others in his honour.

Have a child

This is the most heartbreaking challenge. But his parents wonder if maybe one of his friends or family would eventually name their child after Julian.

Become a millionaire

Check. Julian had a Turkish million lira note stuck on his cork board. Mission accomplished.

Own a boat

Name or rename your boat after Julian … or as he was affectionately known as Juju or Bubu.  His parents might buy a kayak this year.

Skydive

Julian’s parents are in talks to make this happen, possibly even in Malta.

Visit all of Malta

Julian’s uncle bought a camper van and is working on it. Meanwhile his parents hope to turn this into an educational tour.

Swim from Malta to Gozo

Check. This was the first challenge undertaken by family and friends in September 2021.

Learn another language

Julian’s father has started learning Spanish. This is works in progress.

Run a marathon

Check. This was completed by family and friends, some a few days ago, some also ran marathons away from home.

Be a mentor to someone

Check. Several friends said Julian was a mentor to them.  This is also being done through the foundation’s educational programmes.

Start a business

Check. A few years ago, Julian set up a shoe-selling business named Bridge Clothing which can still be found on Facebook and Instagram.

See the Northern lights

Check. Julian’s family went to Finland in September.

Buzz cut my hair

Check. Julian did this while in Gozo during the pandemic.

Get a PhD

His parents are hoping one of his friends might eventually tick this off… otherwise one of the parents might have a go at it themselves.

Learn a martial art

Check. Julian had started learning jiu jitsu.

Fast for a week

Friends of his parents are considering doing this for its detoxing benefits. So far an aunt spent a week on liquids. 

Play poker in a casino

Julian was a poker star. On the anniversary of his death, friends met to play poker in his honour. His father is learning so he can go to a casino.

Meet an idol

Julian was a big fan of Elon Musk and his parents’ dream is to obtain his contribution through a short, dedicated webcast during one of the Pathfinder events.

Learn to do backflips

Check. Julian managed this while at a trampoline park.

Change the world

Getting there. Julian is doing so through his legacy by bringing people together through the bucket list and helping young people reach their potential through the foundation.

Watch the sun set twice

This is tricky. But it will be figured out.

Reach 6 feet.

Check. They have a video of him walking on stilts to prove it.

Milk a cow

Sounds easy but it’s turning out hard to find a cow to milk. But it will happen.

Have a Wikipedia page

This will happen and the family are working on compiling the content.

Julian’s Rules for Life

1. Do exercise
2. Eat good food
3. Never stop learning
4. Variety is the spice of life
5. Moderation is key
6. Stay with like-minded people* (but not exclusively) – should have diverse interests and opinions but similar attitudes and mindsets
7. Less is often more
8. Read books
9. Set challenging but realistic goals
10. Know when to break rules
11. If you can’t clean your room, don’t try to change the world
12. It’s ok to seek pleasure
13. Stop trying to make sense of things which will never make sense.