A fortuitous panel discussion at Union College in 1988 launched a lifelong connection to Emma Willard School for Mathematics Instructor Judy Price. Emma Willard Principal Philip Deely was featured as a panelist that evening, and Judy, a soon-to-be Union graduate, handed him her résumé for an opening in the Mathematics Department.

When she came to Mount Ida to interview, Judy was first struck by the amazing architecture, and quickly thereafter by the feeling. “I could see the sense of community right away,” Judy recalls. “That’s also the piece that’s kept me here.” Judy immediately integrated herself into that community. Over the years she has worn many hats: dorm affiliate; faculty advisor to Friday Night Ski Club, Black Latinx Student Union (BLSU), and PRIMES (the math club); department chair; and assistant tennis coach.

For Tony, the first draw to Emma was Judy. While attending law school at Western New England University in Springfield, MA, he visited  Mount Ida frequently. When Judy and Tony married in 2000, his was a natural transition into the Emma community. The couple lived in the Bridges, and Tony later joined the Emma faculty as a track coach and, shortly thereafter, basketball coach. “I have had the opportunity to coach and meet so many different Emma Willard community members since I first came to visit—over 30 years ago now,” Tony says. “What has struck me the most about Emma is the people of so many unique and different backgrounds.”

Judy and Tony’s two children, Sarah ’20 and Sol ’24, spent their childhoods immersed in this eclectic community, performing in Revels and attending GirlSummer. “When I was a kid, I would pretend it was a castle,” Sarah recalls. “It was my playground, and I absolutely loved it! I had a really active imagination as a child, and I think part of it is because I spent so much time at Emma—everything felt really whimsical.” 

When considering whether to attend Emma or a well-regarded public school, Sarah and Sol each had their reasons for choosing Emma. Sol leaned into the familiarity. “I’d been going to Emma since I was little, so it felt like a second home to me,” Sol shares. 

Sarah chose Emma because it would be a different experience than what she was accustomed to in middle school. “When I became a student at Emma, it felt like I rediscovered the place, which was also why I never got bored of it. It was always constantly changing,” Sarah says. Making the most of their time here, Sarah and Sol exemplified the spirit of Emma Willard School, both receiving an EW award in their senior years.

Working at Emma has afforded Judy opportunities to pursue one of her personal passions: travel. Having spent a year on a Fulbright teacher exchange in Blandford Forum, England, Judy traveled around the British Isles, Greece, Turkey, and the Netherlands. She led spring break trips to Thailand, Cambodia, and Uganda and spent three weeks on a teacher exchange in Australia (plus an extra week seeing sights while Sarah completed her four-week exchange through Emma).

Now a staff vice president in the appeals department at Carelon Behavioral Health, Tony manages legal specialists and appeals coordinators across the US, in addition to managing the training of Emma’s track and field athletes. At his core, Tony is a lifelong learner. “I love to learn, and meeting so many amazing people at Emma over the years has really inspired me in the way that I view the world and the way that I think about myself and others around me.”

Beyond the personal rewards of being part of such a dynamic community, Judy and Tony have seen the impact it has had on their children’s education. “We live in a good school district,” Judy points out. “If they went to that high school, they would have been just fine. But we think they got more leadership opportunities at Emma Willard—things like Speaker Series, personalized care, and getting to know teachers better.”

“What makes Emma so great is the people,” Sol affirms. “I’m in a community where I’ve been supported to be myself and grow into the person I am.” With the leadership experience of Science Olympiad, Emma Genius, Coding Club, Crew, and Indoor Track at Emma under xir belt, Sol is headed to Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall to study electrical engineering. “RIT has campuses abroad, and one of them is in Dubai. I think it would be amazing if I could do a study abroad there.”

Now a graduate of American University with a degree in international relations, Sarah is on her way to a cultural and educational exchange with the US State Department in Morocco to spend the summer learning Arabic. Her willingness to try new things is a spirit she credits to her time at Emma. “The most random things would pop up that I would think, sure, why not? It would end up taking me places and connecting me with people that I never imagined. It makes life worth living to have those random things that bring you happiness. That's probably one of the best things that I learned from Emma.”

Although so much of life has revolved around Emma Willard, Judy, Tony, Sarah, and Sol still have robust interests outside of “ye gray walls.” From kayaking to pickleball to travel to theatre (both film and live), the family loves spending time together pursuing their passions. Judy has developed an affection for pickleball, and Sol and Tony love amusement parks and anime, in addition to the movies that they enjoy with Judy. Sarah is looking forward to the travel opportunities afforded by her time in Morocco, and might even convince Tony and Judy to come visit! 

Now that both kids have “left the nest” of Mount Ida, Judy and Tony are excited about the opportunities ahead for their children and the prospect of spending more time together. “We’ve had great quality time with our girls over the last eight years,” Tony shares, adding, “I really enjoyed working with so many students, and it’s amazing to see what they’ve done after Emma Willard.” But he’s also ready to spend more time with Judy. “We’re looking forward to doing some of those things that you don’t get a chance to do when you’re raising kids, going through school, and supporting them.”

Judy shares the same vision of their future: “I love my husband very much and enjoy his company. So we’re looking forward to having more couple time. Of course, we love our kids to death. But parenting…you’re all in and sometimes your own schedule has to take a backseat. So now we’ll totally be able to just go do what we want to!”

Reflecting on her years at Emma, Judy holds her hands up in the shape of a heart and says, “It’s been a fun place…I have great affection for the school, and I go back to that sense of community. It’s been awesome to have students from all over the world. When people come back and talk about how you helped them through tough teenage years…just last year at Reunion some kids told me that Emma Willard was their safe haven in a way that I didn’t know at the time. You don’t always know how your kindness has affected them.”

This piece originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2024 issue of Signature Magazine.