Emi was an incredible teammate. She held everyone to a high standard. She made other people want to work, want to give their best. As a player and a captain, she was intense. Some would even say scary. Everyone would say badass. She played almost every minute of our whole four years at center-back, where the pressure to perform is real, and she handled it with grace.

When we first met I felt like she was a grown up. She walked tall and held her head high. Everyone respected her instantly. She didn’t seem nervous about doing fitness next to the seniors (Alex included). She already knew how to write an excellent five-page paper. She was so much wiser than me, than all of us really. She knew who she was, and she very rarely stooped to the low levels that the rest of us did. She knew what she wanted, and she was unapologetic about staying in on a Friday night to catch up on Scandal. She owned her grandma-ness while still being very cool and a ton of fun to be with: there’s lots of singing, dancing, and laughing with Emi Lawson around!