High school students can have a number of people that have an influence on their life and help shape them into the person that they will become. Emma Vargas has a couple of people that she says have filled that role.

“One of my biggest inspirations is my mom because she shows me that hard work pays off and she’s an example of a great leader,” Vargas said. “A teacher that has impacted my life is my eleventh grade AP US History teacher, Coach Birth. He has impacted not only my life but so many other students by teaching the importance of being a kind human being and contributing to your community.”

Emma is a senior at Ardmore High School, where she is a discus thrower on the track team. She is also part of the Student Council, National Honor Society, Leaflets, and band.

As a member of the track team, Vargas has a number of teammates that she works with and sees the hard work that they also put in.

“The teammate I like working against the most is my teammate Sasha because she pushes me and the other girls to do better,” she said. “The least appreciated player on the team is my teammate Khloe because she works hard and is good at what she does and it just doesn’t always get recognized.”

Throughout her career, Emma has made a lot of memories with her teammates on and off the track. But she has one moment that stands out as her favorite.

“The highlight of my career was last season when I achieved my personal record of 70 feet in the discus.”

Along with wanting to be a successful athlete, Vargas works hard to be just as successful in the classroom. She says that making priorities is important.

“It takes a lot of planning and organizing and also making sure to make time for myself so I don’t get overwhelmed,” she said.