ON THE RISE

Emma Phillips

As part of SLO High’s Class of ‘13, she is now Ivy League-bound. With prestigious scholarships in tow, Phillips will be settling into her dorm room at Brown University this fall in Rhode Island where her future continues to look bright.

What have you been up to this summer? I packed up all my fancy clothes to be a junior counselor at Girls State at Claremont Mckenna, and then to attend the GE-Reagan Scholars Retreat in Simi Valley, before I finally went off to Stanford where I interned at the Martin Luther King Jr. Institute. A lot of blouses and pencil skirts were required for those activities. A lot. What is noteworthy about you? Noteworthy? That is a very generous assumption. What a humbling statement. I have received some scholarships, including the Coca-Cola and PG&E Bright Minds, but it is really the generosity of those corporations which is noteworthy. I think that I was quick to dismiss huge companies as anti-the-little-guy. Yet, they sure have altered my thinking. What sort of extra-curricular activities are you involved in? My absolute favorite has been working as an instructor with Project Surf Camp. And plunging into the Pacific with disabled children may sound like a recipe for disaster, but to see the grin on a child’s face as he rides his first wave is indescribable. It led me to serve as a teacher’s assistant in the special education department, volunteer with Special Olympics, Special Education Prom, and the Central Coast Autism Spectrum. I just may have found my passion. What are your interests and hobbies? I am a serial hair donator, and have donated 36 inches in the past five years. I can wiggle my ears, and frequently do. I love the idea of permaculture, and our front yard is currently producing tomatoes and artichokes which make me proud. Biking is a favorite of mine, as is backpacking and I trekked the John Muir Trail to Mt. Whitney last year. The natural beauty was brilliant. What is your favorite memory of all time? Last summer I met President Obama. It was just so impossible to fathom and out of this world. Quite honestly, if there weren’t pictures to prove it, I don’t know that I would believe it happened. When he walked in the room, it was the most surreal moment.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully in the Peace Corps. I am very eager to explore, experience the dirt of other lands, breathe foreign air. I am just generally antsy, and am propelled by an insatiable drive to go places and do things, and it sure would be grand to help a few people along the way.

What is it that you look forward to most? Right now, I am most looking forward to venturing to South Korea with 49 other Americans in August with the Cultural International Educational Exchange. I really wanted to go to North Korea, but as we are not on the best terms, I figured I’d settle for South.

What is something that not many people know about you? This past year I have begun to share a part of me which I previously hid at all costs. I struggled with childhood epilepsy. I’m sharing this now because I hope that someone who is battling something, in any capacity, might look to me, not as a role model, but as proof that setbacks are just that, and they are not the end. So to anyone who has been labeled as inept, lesser, incompetent, or has to work twice as hard simply to level the playing field—keep on keeping on.

SLO LIFE

Dr. Daniel’s orthodontic practice has relocated just around the corner from SLO High School at 1356 Marsh Street.

Although it’s a new address, they are still providing the same excellent care as they have for years.

Specializing in Smiles

Dr. Daniel Orthodontics

1356 Marsh Street . San Luis Obispo (805) 543-3105 . drdanielortho.com