Emily Newton Sets Up Action On and Off Volleyball Court
Emily Newton is always looking out for others. On the volleyball court she has an amazing 1,022 assists in 30 matches, off the court she spent her sophomore year as a member of the University Student Affairs Council and serves on the executive board of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council. She says, "The thing I love the best about my sport, my teammates, and about CMU athletics is the community. We are all bonded by being a part of something we love and by supporting each other to do it. That's what is so great." Emily's community-focused perspective perfectly encapsulates how she has impacted the CMU community as a Student-Athlete.
On the court, Emily sets her teammates up, but she also sets the tone. She says, "Our team mentality is pretty fearless. We're fighters." That's been made evident by their 24-6 record and a top 25 national ranking. Emily is ranked 15th in the country in total assists, and during her sophomore season she was named to the All-UAA Second Team. In that season, Emily led the team with 839 assists and helped lead the Tartans to the ECAC Southwest Championship game. This season, the team's sights are set on the NCAAs. Emily says, "My freshman year, we got a taste of being in the NCAA tournament. We've trained and improved as a team over the past two years so we can get back there. I believe we have the talent and the passion to make NCAAs. When we do, I'll want more than a taste."
As a student leader, Emily was a member of the University Student Affairs Council. The council is a group of students, alumni, faculty, and administrators who discuss how to improve campus life. Emily also worked on improving CMU's strategic plan and provided input with the direction in which CMU should move as a university. Additionally, as an executive board member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Emily has been in charge of organizing the Tartan Olympics for the last two years. Emily is responsible for organizing the committee to develop and run the Tartan Olympics event in which groups of students compete in different events to win 500 dollars for the charity of their choice. Under Emily, Tartan Olympics has grown into one of the most popular student activities on campus. Emily is particularly passionate about the whole organization. She says, "I love that we have formed such a great group of individuals that are passionate about their student-athlete experience. And even more than that, SAAC is passionate about outreach and what we can do for our greater community." With Emily serving as a leader, SAAC has grown, further developed, and improved each of the community programs it runs.
Emily's success goes far beyond CMU's Pittsburgh campus. Last summer, she worked for Northrup Grumman Corporation in Redondo Beach, California. She was a Proposal Analyst for the James Webb Telescope Program. Emily worked on the business side where she researched the material and labor costs of updating the telescope. In typical Emily-fashion, the first thing she discusses when talking about her summer internship is her teammates. She says, "I got to be with other coworkers that were specialized in such diverse subjects and I could learn something new every day."
With the second UAA Volleyball round robin complete and the UAA Championship in sight, Emily and the Tartans have a fantastic opportunity to take their fearless spirit and show off how much they've grown in the last two seasons. With Emily's selfless attitude anchoring the team, CMU Volleyball is poised to make a run at the UAA Championship and the NCAAs.