Hi! I’m Emma Braband, and I am part of the 2021 graduating class of New Trier High School in Illinois. I am a distance runner in both cross country and track; I run anything from the 800m to the 3-mile. My personal records include a 2:15.88 in the 800, 5:22 in the 1600 and 18:21 in the 3-mile at Detweiller Park (Peoria, Illinois). My biggest running successes so far have been placing eighth in the open 800 at the 2019 IHSA State Track Meet, and being on the 2019 State Champion 4×800 relay team in Class 3A. Currently I have an unweighted GPA of 3.93 and a weighted GPA of 4.65. My athletic goals for this coming year include breaking 18:00 in the 3 mile, and just continuing to learn what track races are my strongest — then working at dropping time in those. Throughout my two years running track, the 800 has been the event in which I have had the most success and fun, and I really enjoy getting to run relays. However, I would love to continue to try all mid-distance and distance events.  So far in high school I have taken all honors and high honors courses, and my plan for next year is to move up to AP in English and History. An additional goal is to work hard and prepare well for the ACT and SAT to hopefully get good scores.

When I am not running I enjoy working with kids with disabilities through New Trier’s Enriching Lives through Service (ELS) club. In this club, I go into an English class to help the students with their learning and communication skills. I love this club so much, which is why I give up my free period to do it. I also am a part of New Trier Special Olympics, which is so much fun.  I know that I have been very fortunate in track, and I love the opportunity to coach my fellow students while they do the thing about which I am most passionate.  I hope to continue to work with kids who have disabilities by majoring in Speech Pathology or Child Psychology in college.

I am a very team-oriented person who will do anything to benefit the larger group. I think this would be a major asset to any college. I love being a part of a team, and while many people might think of running as an individual sport, I disagree. I come from a very close high school team and hope to find a similar team in college! I would also consider myself to be a leader in running and enjoy collaborating with others on my team. For this reason, I was selected as a track captain for the 2019-2020 season as a junior. As I look to my future, I hope to bring my team mindset and leadership skills to the next level of running. For more information, please email me at emmabraband2021@gmail.com.