Emily Cheston is the face of this week’s Senior Spotlight, as her ambitious personality, academic excellence and dedicated involvement to the world around her make her a standout in the Class of 2017. Emily moved to Rocky Mount Academy in fourth grade and has been an integral member of the student body for nine years. Involving herself in clubs, sports and challenging classes, she keeps a busy schedule while still making time to hang out with friends and, of course, listen to music.

Emily’s love for knowledge is evident through her hard work in the classroom and willingness to learn from her mistakes. Her academic success has not gone unnoticed as she has won various awards such as Academic Excellence in Honors Chemistry and Academic Excellence in Honors Spanish II. Among the most impressive of these awards and special recognition was being named an AP Scholar, Turner Battle Scholarship recipient, and National Honor Society member. All of these awards attest to her standout intellect which has resulted in many impressive college acceptances and scholarships. Emily was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, NC State, University of Virginia, Georgetown University, Brown University, and Princeton University. With numerous options, Emily had a very tough decision to make but she knew that her heart was set on Princeton. She finally took the leap and committed just last week.

As well as a competitive student, Emily is a strong athletic competitor on both the tennis court and the golf course. She has been a member of the Varsity Tennis team for two years and was a founding member of the Girls Varsity Golf Team as a sophomore. For three years, Emily has consistently led not only the team, but the conference scoreboard. Teammate Julia High states, “On or off the court, Emily is generally one of the kindest people I know. Her smile is contagious and she can always make me laugh.”

To add to her busy schedule, Emily is a member and officer of numerous clubs at RMA. Demonstrating her quality of leadership, she serves as the Founder and President of Debate Club, President of Science Olympiad, Communications Chair of the Eagle Examiner, Secretary of SGA, Secretary of the Academy Rescue Foundation, Publicity Chair of Key Club and the Middle School MATHCOUNTS Coach. Not only are her school months packed with fundraisers, meetings and competitions, but her summers have also been busy and productive. During the summer before eleventh grade, Emily worked as a Junior Volunteer at Nash General and also served as a Senate Page for Senator Buck Newton. As a page, she participated in daily sessions, committee meetings, and performed other duties such as delivering messages and materials, answering phones in senators’ offices, and passing out documents or running errands in the Senate Chamber. Emily enjoyed this experience so much that she decided to apply to be a U.S. Senate Page during the summer before her senior year. Emily was chosen as the only student in North Carolina to spend five weeks of the summer living in DC, serving as a Senate Page for Senator Richard Burr. Emily was also offered admission to the highly competitive Summer Ventures in Math and Science Program but as it conflicted with her time in DC, she was not able to participate.

There is no doubt that Emily will continue to be the determined yet easygoing student that she has been at Rocky Mount Academy. Senior Marin Rommel says it all by stating, “Emily is one of those people that anyone can get along with and laugh with. She’s the kind of person that people just click with automatically. She’s my best friend and even though many are going to miss her next year, we all know that she’s moving on to bigger and better things and is going to accomplish so much in life.”

Read the short interview below to learn more about Emily!

How do you feel RMA has prepared you for college?

I feel like RMA really represents what it means to be a “college prep” school. The freedom that the school gives its students has allowed me to put my ideas into action. If you have an idea, and a plan to see it through, you’re encouraged to do it! I feel like that has given me a sense of confidence that I can use to continue to voice my opinion in college.

What do you hope to pursue in (and after) college?

Right now, I see myself involved in law and public policy. I’ve also always been interested in biology and medicine, so I feel like public health or health law would be awesome. I definitely hope to be working in D.C. in some capacity. Whatever I’m doing, I plan on it being for the greater good.

Describe your senior year in three words.

Memorable, spontaneous, and hilarious

What is your favorite long lunch destination?

I probably go to Chick-fil-a the most.

What is something not many people know about you?

Hmm, probably only my close friends know that I have a lot of what our grade calls “cringe words”. One time Marin filled up an entire note card with the word “flesh” written on it and put it in my book bag because she knows how much I hate it.

What is something everyone knows about you?

Anyone who knows me knows I am constantly listening to music. Literally everything from rap to country to oldies to classical (miss me with whatever the newest pop song is though). Also, everyone knows that when I start laughing, I start cry-laughing.

Pet peeves?

Not much gets to me, but when people think they’re always right, complain about almost everything, or are unappreciative…it’s a no from me lol

“I will always remember…”

When Mr. Stone went on the intercom system to announce that I had gotten into Princeton…and then proceeded to grab the microphone on the stage in the cafeteria and announce it to the student body again, haha

What would you tell underclassmen NOT to do?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Whether it’s in class or advice from an upperclassman, it’s better to use your resources rather than end up making a mistake that could have been prevented. On a lighter note, don’t forget to enjoy your time in high school and appreciate those who always know how to make you smile!

What will you miss the most about RMA?

I will definitely miss the atmosphere on campus the most. My friends and I (ok, maybe it’s mainly me) are laughing 90% of the time, so RMA will definitely be associated with happy memories. I will definitely miss the teachers as well. Overall, RMA is a place where you know everyone is rooting for you.

What has been your favorite class at RMA?

I would have to say Dr. O’Brien’s 11th grade English. I love that she emphasizes the importance of class discussions. AP Government with Mr. Stone has also been a favorite for the same reason (shout out to the other four students in the class this year).