St. Mary’s senior and three-sport athlete Emma Driggs has no second thoughts about what she wants to do for a career. After shadowing doctors at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in January, she became determined to become a surgeon.
The Annapolis resident started volunteering at the Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Joint and Spine Unit in June and will continue to do so throughout the school year.
“I wanted to be a doctor before, but [the shadowing experiences] really solidified that I want to be a surgeon,” Driggs says. “I want to help people live better lives. Surgery would be helping people as much as you can. I have always loved science and people, and I especially love kids. Being a surgeon is just a great combination of all those things.”
With medical school several years off, Driggs, who will major in biology at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, is focused on two different passions: community service and athletics.
She’s been uniquely successful at combining the two. Starting as a sophomore, Driggs organized all of the school’s field hockey players to collect and create Easter baskets for the children living at the Light House Shelter in Annapolis the past two springs.
“It’s a really good way to give back to the community, and we have had amazing results,” says Driggs, who carries a weighted 4.40 GPA at school.
Driggs also organized the two St. Mary’s field hockey teams to collect backpacks last year with essential personal items and supplies for local teenage girls entering foster care as part of The Blue Ribbon Project’s Backpacks of Love.
“What I have noticed the most about her service work is that she’s had an impact on our other student athletes,” St. Mary’s Athletic Director Allison Fondale says. “She has influenced them and motivated the students to dedicate their time to service and to see the importance of it.”
Driggs finds time to swim, play lacrosse and field hockey, and still be active in many off-the-field activities.
She’s president of her class, co-president of the National Honor Society, a member of the National Latin Honor Society and Science National Honor Society, and a St. Mary’s ambassador for prospective new or transferring students.
On top of that, Driggs is her school’s Model United Nations delegate and is the co-founder and co-president of St. Mary’s Champs program, which focuses on service projects for all of the Saints’ teams.
“She is one of a kind,” Fondale says. “She’s very driven, selfless, and very mature.”
Driggs excels at swimming and field hockey. She’s a three-year varsity performer on each team.
“I really enjoy playing three sports and it really helps me stay in shape,” Driggs says.
But she sees her future in college as a lacrosse player. The 5-foot-10 Driggs is a rarity in high school girls’ sports: a draw specialist. She simply dominates winning the ball at the start of the game because of her size, strength, and speed.
“She is able to come up with the ball at critical moments,” St. Mary’s Girls Lacrosse Coach Mindy Jones says. “It really helps set up the success and momentum of our team. She’s so valuable.”
She won 169 draws in 2017 and boosted that number to 221 this year. Driggs earned First-Team All-County Honors both seasons and was also chosen for the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland All A Conference team.
Driggs says the key to her success has been practicing taking draws nearly every day of the year. She works a lot with her sister and teammate Grace. She really started focusing on draws in the seventh grade.
“I worked with a college player and some coaches to get a foundation,” Driggs says. “But in the past few years, I learned a lot on my own and taught myself.”
