Where Are They Now: Emily Anderson

Emily Anderson graduated from Grafton High School in 2010, where she played soccer, lacrosse and ran track for the Indians. Anderson captained the Indians’ soccer and lacrosse teams and was named a Central Massachusetts All-Star in all three sports. She was also named a Telegram & Gazette All-Star for soccer and lacrosse.

While at Grafton High School, Anderson participated in SADD  as the treasurer and the National Honor Society as the vice president. Though an MVP caliber lacrosse player, Anderson decided to pursue the game of soccer, her original love, at the collegiate level.

Anderson was approached by the head coach of Colby College’s soccer team while at a summer camp at Bowdoin and was pleasantly surprised when the coach stated that she would support her application and would be one of her recruits if she applied to the college. Anderson applied and was accepted to Colby College and in her first year with the Mules’ soccer team played in 11 of the 14 games that season, scoring her first collegiate goal against Maine-Farmington.

Anderson is finishing up her freshman year, but has decided to declare her major in biology with a concentration in neuroscience. She hopes to travel abroad in the upcoming semesters and looks to follow her dream of working for a non-profit clinic in Haiti.

Favorite food: Cheese Pizza

Favorite movie: Legally Blonde

Favorite collegiate or professional team: The New England Patriots

Favorite player or role model: Shalrie Joseph of the New England Revolution

What’s on your iPod right now? “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child and Wiz Khalifa

Favorite book: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

What have you been up to since graduating from Grafton High School in 2010?

I came to school about a week early to try out for soccer and I made the team. I’m at Colby College and I’ve been either playing or training with the soccer team.

What are you planning on studying at Colby College?

It’s just an initial declaration, but I’m currently majoring in bio with a concentration in neuroscience. I really like bio, but I took psychology in high school and I’m retaking it this semester and I find it really interesting. I wanted a major that would incorporate both and I was deciding between either double majoring in bio or psych or doing the concentration, but if I want to go abroad, I think I have to do the concentration.

Are you partaking in any extracurricular activities while at Colby?

Right now, I’m still kind of finding my way around and for soccer we train every afternoon, so that takes up most of my time. But I’m going to do Colby Cares About Kids next semester, which is where I get a mentee and I help them [K-8^th graders] with their homework or play with them twice a week after school.

How did your first full season of collegiate soccer go for you?

It went well, I think I played in all but one or two games and it was a lot of fun. I have six best friends here and they’re all on the soccer team, so it helped me kind of adjust to the school. Our record wasn’t great, but we were within one or two goals every game, so it wasn’t like we were out of it…and our final game we came back from losing 3-0 to beat our rival in overtime; that was very exciting. We have a lot of promise for next year.

How did it feel to score your first collegiate goal against Maine-Farmington?

It was kind of a relief. We had trouble scoring in general this season, so to be able to go in and kind of make a statement that I was a college level player, it sort of boosted my confidence for the rest of the season and was really exciting in general.

What made you choose Colby College in the first place and where else were you looking to go to school?

I didn’t want to look at Colby originally because both my parents and three-out-of-four grandparents went to Colby, so I kind of wanted to do my own thing, but then I toured the campus and I just fell in love with it. I started looking at small MASCAC schools because I wanted something like Grafton High, a little bigger, but kind of the same feel in a remote area. I really liked Bowdoin too, so I went to the Bowdoin [soccer] camp, so I figured I’d apply to both Bowdoin and Colby. Then the Colby coach approached me and said if I apply, she’d support my application and be one of her recruits and things eventually fell into place [for me].

Can you tell me about your Grafton High School experience and if you have any favorite memories or moments from your time there?

I had a great time at Grafton High. A lot of people at Colby went to boarding schools and stuff like that and coming from a public school it was a different experience and it’s one that I wouldn’t trade because you get to meet so many people and you get to form so many tight bonds. I became really close to the soccer team, especially my senior year.

Playing against Millbury at home under the lights would have to be one of my favorite memories and just being with the whole team knowing that they have my back is probably one of my favorite moments from high school; I loved it.

Ideally, what would you like to do with your life upon graduating from Colby College?

I really want to work with a non-profit clinic, preferably in Haiti, that was my original thought. I might try and go abroad for a January semester next year to kind of see if that’s still what I want to do. I think that will help me figure it out.

In your down time, what do you enjoying doing or what hobbies do you have?

I like to go to the gym and work out, watch movies and hang out with my friends here.