Emma, Class of 2010
Hillsboro High School, Valedictorian | University of Virginia
After Linden, Emma was not only the Valedictorian at Hillsboro High School, but she pursued a wide variety of internships and experiences. Such endeavors include Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Science and Research, Hillsboro Service Research Intern in the Sappington Lab (Vanderbilt), and Research and Administrative Assistant at Blue Ridge Poison Center. Emma attended the University of Virginia, where she was elected Vice President and Social Vice President for Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, and earned a BA in Environmental Science and Spanish with a minor in Global Sustainability.
After graduating college, Emma was in the Peace Corps, where she served as an agriculture and food security volunteer in Togo, West Africa. In 2020, she began working a the US Department of Agriculture’s Food & Nutrition Service working on food safety and nutrition education. She will be graduating with a Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology from the Colorado School of Public Health in May 2026.
Emma credits Linden for her appreciation of adventure and personal growth. “Seeing my peers constantly push the boundaries of our comfort zones in chorus, orchestra, hand-working, language class, and in main lesson books,” Emma reflects, “allowed me to develop a profound appreciation for people with this quality; as a result, throughout high school, college, and beyond, I have surrounded myself with people who are interested, inquisitive, and striving to grow intellectually and creatively.” Emma is grateful for her time at Linden, for the role models and peers who encouraged her to be herself. She continues to sing and play the violin and loves painting, running, reading, and her rescue dog Ginger.
