MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — This week's Athlete of the Week is held in high esteem on GMC Prep's campus. Emily Arp is a soccer player for the Bulldogs and has plenty on her plate.
"I'm on all the honor societies, honor council, Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy and I'm editor of the school yearbook," Arp said when noting her campus activities.
That's not all. The senior is also co-captain of the soccer team and is a battalion commander, directing 350 students on GMC Prep's campus. She was voted into both roles by her teammates, teachers and peers, respectively. Her coach, Major Tommy Howell said Arp demands respect on campus.
"The level of character is the utmost. I mean, there's nobody any higher," Howell said. "Her teammates think the same of her. When she says something she's very stern with it. Her teammates respect her because they saw her work her way back from injury and doing the right things all the time."
Arp tore her ACL as a freshman and was sidelined a whole year. Since then she's scored 25 goals, led her team to the 2019 Final Four and earned her teammates respect. She says she doesn't take any of her leadership roles lightly.
"It's a privilege to be here and to have those opportunities, but it's kind of hard because you have to meet expectations and you're put at such a high standard that you always have to be on target," Arp said.
Still the senior makes it look easy, maintaining a 4.0 GPA and graduating salutatorian with dreams of being a veterinarian. She's anxiously awaiting a early admission decisions from Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Everything else is rotated and orbits around the fact that I have an education here at GMC and it's the most important thing to me," she said.
Staff will screen people at the entrance with questions to ensure they're not exposing other people inside the building.
RELATED: Athlete of the Week: Jamal Taylor
RELATED: Athlete of the Week: Jordan Jones
RELATED: Athlete of the Week: Stacie Jones
FACTS NOT FEAR | At 13WMAZ, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the coronavirus. To see our full coverage, visit our site section here: www.13wmaz.com/Coronavirus.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.