Photo courtesy of Emma Watkins
Emma Watkins, a John Carroll senior, shares her love for STEM, service and family — and how faith and discipline shape her path toward engineering and medicine.
Q: Please tell our readers about yourself.
A: My name is Emma Watkins. I live in Hoover. I am a senior at John Carroll Catholic High School. I am 17 and I love dogs, art and staying active.
Q: What is your favorite thing about attending John Carroll and why?
A: My favorite thing about attending John Carroll is the community of people that make it so welcoming. It’s never hard to find someone to talk to or help you if you are struggling with school or in need of guidance. Most importantly to me, John Carroll allows me to freely incorporate my faith on a daily basis.
Q: What extracurricular activities are you involved in at school? What activities do you take part in outside of school?
A: I play varsity flag football and serve as an ambassador, campus minister, Mu Alpha Theta member, Spanish National Honor Society member and National Honor Society officer and tutor. I also participate in many service projects with John Carroll’s Future Medical Leaders of America Club and currently we are planning a bake sale to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Outside of school I paint and draw, I like to run, I am active in my church youth group and enjoy spending time with my friends and family.
Q: How many AP classes will you have taken by the end of your senior year? How do you balance your academics and other activities?
A: By the end of my senior year I will have taken 8 AP classes. I balance my academics and other activities by maintaining a high level of organization. For example, I write everything I need to do down on a planner and devote time daily to studying and making sure I am prepared for the week.
Q: Where do you plan to attend college in the fall of 2026 and why? What do you plan to major in?
A: I plan to attend Auburn University in the fall of 2026. I recently toured there and completely fell in love with the friendly environment and beautiful campus. I also attended an engineering camp in Auburn this past summer and felt immediately at home during my time there. I plan to major in chemical engineering and possibly go to medical school after to focus on biomedical engineering. I’m passionate about the field because I want to make an impact in medical studies and on people’s lives.
Q: Your senior year will be a success if ... what?
A: My senior year will be a success if I achieve all my academic goals and know that I was seen as a kind person to all.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in your senior year? Why?
A: Graduation is what I look forward to the most because even though it will be sad and bittersweet, I’ll know that all my hard work through high school will have paid off.
Q: Who is your role model and why?
A: My role model is definitely my dad. He is the reason I continue to strive for perfection in school and outside of school because he motivates me to reach my full potential. He also is an amazing mentor when it comes to academics because he’s the smartest person I know. He’s also a civil engineer and very successful at his job. His work ethic and experiences inspired me to pursue engineering too.
Q: What is your favorite subject and why?
A: I really enjoy all my classes relating to STEM because I enjoy problem solving and challenges to overcome as well as critical thinking. More specifically, I am currently taking an advanced physics course and I really enjoy it because it can be applied to real world situations.
