Emma Smith is a Class of 2016 alumni of Bellefonte High School. Following graduation, Emma went to College at Bucknell University for her bachelor’s degree and graduated from Bucknell in 2020. Now, Emma is a dance teacher at Hot Styles Dance Company and is a substitute teacher in the BASD.

At Bucknell, Emma majored in Linguistics and minored in Russian, French, and Dance. Linguistics is “the science of language.” 

“I took AP Literature with Ms. Richardson junior year of high school, and one day I was talking to her about my interests and she suggested that I look into linguistics… [linguistics] focuses on understanding how people learn, produce, and understand speech,” Emma said.

She also wanted to further her education in other languages and continue her dance career throughout college. Emma traveled abroad during her time at Bucknell in order to branch out and try new things.

After graduating from Bucknell, Emma moved back home to be a dance teacher at Hot Styles Dance Company. Emma is also a substitute teacher at BASD. She hopes to graduate soon to be an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.

“I just finished a job as the long-term substitute for the elementary orchestra, and am also currently choreographing most of the dances in the musical (Mary Poppins),” Emma said.

Emma’s advice for students is to not be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and try new things.

“Don’t be afraid to branch out and try things outside your comfort zone, especially when high school is over. Don’t worry about if you succeed or not; whether you try to learn a new skill at work or join a dance class for the first time, the process of trying something new is always worth it,” Emma said.