Meet Emily Donahue ...
School: North Pocono High School
Parents: Gerald and Marilyn Donahue
Plans: To attend Penn State University main campus and major in biomedical engineering.
Emily Donahue ranks with the best shooters among the girls on North Pocono High School's cross country team.
She's also one of the few vegetarians on the rifle squad.
Emily is ranked third in her class at North Pocono and is a four-year member of the track team, a three-year member of the rifle club and a two-year member and captain of the cross country team.
"She is a student who has worked very hard for the success she has obtained," school counselor Matt Montoro said. "Emily knows quite well how to balance the demands of academics while living a very rich life of the classroom."
Emily was captain of the school's science Olympiad team that placed third in regional competition and competed in the state tournament. She is member of the school color guard and plays first violin in the school orchestra.
Her fondness for animals led to her to volunteer on weekends at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.
"I enjoy animals a lot," she said.
She also volunteers at the Family to Family Thanksgiving event and other school and community service projects. She is active in the Interact Club, the Rotary International service club for young people, and submits precipitation and storm data to the National Weather Service.
After discussing all her school and volunteer activities, Emily said, "There's not much time for much else."
Her mother, Marilyn, survived a bout with cancer and Emily draws strength from that experience.
"It just really inspires me to go on," she said.
Emily, whose life philosophy is "Conquer all self-doubt and reach for your dreams," hopes to become a veterinarian or researcher.