Distinguished Student: Emily Burden

“I would say get in involved in everything you can and every extracurricular activity that you can and make sure you keep up on your school work as well,” Burden says. “But activities is what makes high school fun. I really enjoy playing basketball and volleyball and without it school wouldn’t be as fun as it is.”

Emily can’t wait for basketball season. Playing on the girl’s team is a highlight of her school year, and she leans a lot from the experience.

“It really teaches you to work with individuals, Burden says. “You have to come together as a team to play well and learn to work well with others.”

Emily is well rounded. Besides playing sports, she plays trumpet in the school band and also plays piano. It’s therapeutic for her.

“It takes your focus away from your problems and you can just dive into it and listen to it, and it’s wonderful to hear the harmony you can make with just yourself and an instrument.”

Emily is smart too. She ranks second in her class academically. In college she wants to study something in the medical field, but she’s not sure yet just what. For now Emily just tries to balance her time between school work and other activities. It’s a strategy she strongly recommends for other students.