On home…

I’ve grown up in Ballston Lake, NY, for almost my whole life. I lived in Latham when I was younger, but moved, so I’ve always been around the Capital Region! I live with my mom, dad, and my older sister. Growing up, we would travel around the country a lot for my sister's basketball, so I’ve had my fair share of family road trips and watched an obscene amount of basketball games. I don’t have pets right now, but I used to have six fish and two bearded dragons when I was younger. 

 

On Emma…

I first learned about Emma through the GirlSummer program! My friends at the time all told me I should go to the summer camp because it was super fun. My first summer, all I remember was that the campus was gorgeous and I made so many new friends in what felt like such a vibrant and fun community. Even though it was the summer camp, I already felt so happy being at Emma and really wanted to attend for high school. 

When I did start high school at Emma, my first time on campus felt amazing, getting to meet so many new people and already feeling like I found the perfect place. What makes Emma special for me is definitely the people in the community. From my friends and teachers to the administration and staff members, everyone is so supportive and kind. The community really just builds each other up and makes me feel so welcome. I also found a great group of friends that I’m surrounded by, and they bring me so much joy every day! 

 

On track and field…

I really love running! I started track when I was in fifth grade (I think), and I always only ever did sprinting, but after coming to Emma, I switched to long distance. I’ve gotten a chance to participate in cross country, the indoor and outdoor track seasons. So far, it's been going really well! My teammates and I have broken a few school records in the distance relay races, and I’ve set personal records that I’m really happy with. I got into track because I really just wanted to do a sport, but I wasn't sure which one. When I tried track, I really enjoyed it. 

Something I’ve learned is that having a supportive team is really important. Before Emma, my previous team was supportive and kind, but here I really understand what it means to be a part of a team, and I love being able to cheer on my teammates in their races and seeing them do well! Something I would still like to learn is how to convince the coaches to drive us to get ice cream after meets, but also how to race the steeplechase because jumping in a giant pool of water in a track meet just sounds fun!

 

On Classical Mediterranean History…

My most interesting class at Emma so far was my Classical Mediterranean History class in the fall. I really liked the way my teacher, Dr. Riley, made the class so interesting: from his rants about Alexander the Great to bringing in his Xbox to give us a tour of Ancient Greece. I thought it was a good class to start off freshman year with. There was also definitely a lot of laughter in that class; it was pretty fun.

 

On Principal’s Play Day…

I haven't been at Emma for a full school year yet, so I haven't experienced all of the traditions, but one of my favorite traditions (besides Revels) is probably Principal’s Play Day. I just remember thinking throughout the week leading up to the surprise day how nice it would be if they gave us the day off school for Principal’s Play Day, and sure enough, they did! 

This year, the theme was health and wellness, and I had so much fun eating crepes, playing games, and going in the sauna! It was really nice to not have to do schoolwork and finally just get to relax with my friends instead. I can’t wait to experience more traditions as the year goes on!