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Harris is majoring in premedical chemistry.
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, Florida – Being a scholar-athlete at Florida Tech takes an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field.
In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we feature Panther women’s lacrosse player Emily Harris, who is majoring in pre-med chemistry.
A goaltender from Charlotte, North Carolina, Emily is enjoying the best season of her career in the Crimson and Gray in 2023, recording seven wins, a save percentage of .397% and a 9.43 goals against average.
Harris was named to the SSC Commissioner’s and Florida Tech Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in each of her first two seasons with the Panthers. Emily will be graduating this December first semester!
As Emily’s final season in Crimson and Gray draws to a close, we sat down with her to find out how someone with so much on her plate manages to balance it all and what drives her.
■ What is your major at Florida Tech and why did you choose it? Is it something you’ve always wanted to do?
I’m a pre-med chemistry major here at Florida Tech and I’ve known since sixth grade that I wanted to do something medical.
My parents bought me a CSI forensics kit when I was very young, and I went to town on that and the little board game Operation and from then on I knew I wanted to do something medical, so it’s been in the cards ever since. .
■ What was it about Florida Tech that made you want to be here?
Florida Tech is a STEM school and that really appealed to me. The rigor of the science and the proximity to the beach are always fantastic.
Also, SSC is one of the most competitive lacrosse conferences in the country and I just wanted the challenges of SSC and the rigor that lacrosse brought and I knew we were going to be competitive here. I really chose it for the rigor of academics and athletics.
■ How do you plan to use your degree after graduation?
So, after graduation, I’m looking at some medical school interviews. I’m leaning a little more towards the dental side at the moment, but I’m keeping all my options open. I do a lot of shading now, trying to narrow down a certain path.
But I am looking at four more medical/dental courses after completing my undergraduate degree.
■ What are some fun projects you’ve been able to work on in the classroom?
So, my labs are the kind where I get the most joy. Specifically, doing analytical labs and math, I’m really the math guy behind the chemistry. So, being able to do analytical labs and then put chemicals into math is always interesting to me.
■ A lacrosse season is usually about three months long, and with so many road trips and practices, how do you keep everything in balance once the season starts?
It’s a lot of discipline and a lot of planning ahead. Scheduling actual classes in the spring versus the fall and then doing homework when you have less time.
You should sit down to lunch, do a little homework here and there, and manage every spare hour you have in the day to get things done.
■ What will you take away from being a college athlete that prepared you for your current career and the field you are applying to?
Lacrosse, and especially being a goalie, you really have to be self-motivated and have a lot of discipline and hard work.
I think our priority here at Florida Tech is holding ourselves accountable. So looking at accountability in lacrosse and pushing myself, staying on top of my education, really helped me get to where I am on the career path that I am.
■ What advice would you give to an athlete coming to Florida Tech interested in pre-med chemistry?
My advice will stay with your class only. All of our chemistry classes here build on themselves, so if you’re behind first, you’ll be behind last.
So, just stay on top of it and then look forward to all the labs because we have some great teachers here in the lab and they will help you get the experience you need for medicine or something like that after graduation.
■ What have you enjoyed most about your time with the lacrosse program?
I really like the girls! We are very bonded and a tight-knit group.
Especially if you have a small team like ours, you can bond with everyone and make many impactful connections that last for years and years. So, building that bond with the girls here is really one of the most impactful parts of lacrosse during undergrad.
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