Emma Hughes '17 Recruiting Profile

This fall, I am going to be a Junior at Rochester High School in Rochester IL, just outside the state's capital of Springfield. Even with Rochester's great soccer reputation, as a freshmen, I made and regularly started on the varsity team. We made it all the way to second at the State finals. This past year, as a sophomore, my high school team tied for first in our conference and won the 1A State Title. For my high school season I played center back and defensive midfield. As for my competitive team, I play for St. Louis Scott Gallagher (SLSG) on the Illinois side of the river for coach Beau Farrell. I play defensive and attacking midfield for my competitive team. 

I would say that my best character attributes are my dedication and determination. I live near Springfield IL but my competitive team practices near St. Louis MO.  I drive three hours round trip to practice 3+ times per week. Some people say I'm crazy for it, but when you love your sport as much as I do, you take drastic measures. I started playing soccer when I was 4 years old and fell in love with it. At the age of 11, I made the decision to take the sport more seriously and trained with my dad, a former full athletic scholarship goalkeeper at Bradley University.  We practiced continuously until I had gained enough skill to join a competitive team 6 months later.  I also pride myself on being a good person in general. My friends, family, teammates, and coaches have described me as kind, considerate, hardworking, smart, responsible, highly coachable and a good leader.

Academically I am one of the brightest students in my class. Even though Rochester High School has a notoriously hard grading scale, I have been able to maintain my grades every year. I currently have a 4.375 GPA on a 4.0 scale and am part of the small collection of students to make High Honor Roll. I have not taken my ACT or SAT, and will put up my scores once I get them. 

I have been laying out my future for two years and I have decided on almost everything... I dream to go to a prestigious university and have a marvelous experience playing soccer, but I also what to work hard and gain a lot of knowledge. Eventually, I aspire to become a doctor, because I have always wanted to help people in some way. I absolutely love science and am amazed by how the human body works together to function on a daily basis. Soccer has always been a part of the master plan and I hope to see it through.