For as long as senior Emma Costello could remember, she has always held a passion for the medical field. But, she never anticipated that she would find such satisfaction in doing simple tasks such as being able to spend time with the elderly. 

“Just this past weekend I went to Sunrise in Cascade which is a nursing home,” Emma said. “We painted the old ladies’ nails and then we played Uno. [The ladies] were like ‘I can’t believe you would spend your day [with us and] one of the old ladies started crying on us. She was so happy she got her nails painted.” 

Outside of school Emma is also a part of NHS and is often involved in activities such as volleyball and tutoring along with spending time with the elderly. But it can definitely be confirmed that her devotion to helping people stems a lot from the philanthropy that her family provides. 

“I’ve always loved the idea of helping people in any way,” Emma said. “My parents were very involved in my childhood and always taught me to help others. My grandparents are [also] involved [because] they go to nursing homes, twice a week.” 

Being able to engage in such a rewarding activity has not only given her lots of volunteer experiences but has also given her the chance to teach the one sport she loves most: volleyball. Ever since she was in third grade she has been playing volleyball and now she has the chance to teach it to younger kids. 

“I’ve helped out at volleyball a lot teaching little kids,” Emma said. “They call them volley tots which are twelve and under and I teach them how to play volleyball.”

But from playing volleyball to pulling some muscles of her own, there is no doubt in Emma’s mind that this kinesiology (the study of muscles)  is the career path that she wants to go into. Being able to see professionals advocate for athletes on the field is something that intrigues her because she would be able to help them heal in the process before the condition escalates. 

“I love the idea of helping people in the sports industry to get back to what they love doing rather than [someone] who gets [the patient] when they’re at their worst,” Emma said. “I’ve busted both of my ankles more than once and I’ve been in crutches and in a wheelchair.” 

Regardless of how painful these injuries can be, from an athlete’s point of view, Emma has learned that sports should be seen as an activity that we get to do rather than what we have to do. Although getting ready for practice can become monotonous it always beats missing the chance to have fun with your teammates out on the field. 

“A lot of practices I [will] be so tired because it’s so hot and I just don’t want to go,” Emma said. “When I get to practice I’m still mad about [it, but then] we’ll do something, and then [volleyball] is so much fun. But when you’re sitting on the sidelines and you’re watching them play all these different drills [then] you just want to be in there [and] get all those extra touches.”

Although Emma knew that kinesiology was something she always wanted to do, a class she took junior year—human anatomy—only confirmed her decision even more. Being able to learn about the different types of body parts and where they were located was something that really intrigued her. 

“I loved when we would build the muscles out of clay [and] put them on the skeleton,” Emma said. “By doing that you got to actually see what the layering of them was like and then where they all connected back to one central area.”

Despite the fact that Emma is now in her senior year of high school, her goal is to simply be a part of every moment that she can with the time she has left without getting caught up in the nostalgia of everything. Although the thought of applying to colleges terrifies Emma, she knows that whatever college she picks, it will be close to home. 

“I only want to apply to three [colleges],” Emma said.“I don’t want to be too far away where I would have to get a flight back [because] family is a big part of my life so being close to them is important to me.”