The Journey, The Dream - Emma Grissom and the 2021 Fall Graduating Class
12/15/2021
“FAU has prepared me in a lot of ways. It’s a great school with a lot of resources… My time on the soccer field my whole life has prepared me for life after college. It has taught me team skills, communication, how to problem solve, work with others, and so on. I think that learning time management is the biggest takeaway that I will have from my student-athlete experience.”-Emma Grissom
This December, 20 student-athletes are set to graduate from Florida Atlantic University. Joining the proud group of FAU alumni are:
Gallery: FAU December 2021 Graduates
Growing up, Emma Grissom had two major passions: playing soccer and traveling the world. The Pensacola, Florida native started playing soccer when she was five years old. During her sophomore year playing for J.M. Tate high school, she decided she wanted to pursue a collegiate career playing soccer.
Fast forward six years, and Grissom is wrapping up a stellar career at Florida Atlantic University - both on the field and in the classroom. A hospitality management and tourism/marketing major, Grissom has achieved a 3.75 grade point average while maintaining at least a 3.50 GPA throughout her career.
On the pitch, Grissom has been a consistent contributor to the Owls since joining the team as a freshman. She played in 69 of 71 games for FAU and made 45 starts. Grissom was a key component to a pair of regular-season Conference USA Championship teams in 2018 and 2019.
After graduating from FAU, Grissom has her eyes set on the sky. She is looking to pursue her longtime dream of becoming a pilot, and hopefully, enrolling in pilot school at a place not too far from FAU. Grissom is considering applying to the ATP Flight School, which is held at the Boca Raton Regional Airport, adjacent to FAU’s campus.
Growing up, Grissom and her family spent a lot of time traveling the world. She has vacationed in Italy, France, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa, among other countries.
Both of Grissom’s parents served in the military. Her mother was in the Navy, and her father was in the Army.
“A lot of people in my family have been in the military, it’s a big part of who we are,” Grissom said. “They are very proud to have been in the military, and I think it’s a great thing to serve your country. My mom flew in the Navy, and my dad has done plane jumps in the Army.”
The desire to continue exploring the world, along with her family influence in flying, has formed Grissom’s desire to become a pilot.
“We have traveled a lot, so flying and exploring has always been a part of my life. It’s something that I love to do, I love to travel, so that has influenced me in wanting to become a pilot. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a long time, but since both of my parents were in the military, it was a path that I considered. That’s also why I was unsure about going to college and playing soccer. I was deciding if I was going to go into the military and get my pilot’s license, or go to college, then get my pilot’s license. Once I decided that I can get my pilot’s license and get the college experience, and still join the military after if I wanted to, that’s the path that I chose to follow.”
During her tenure at FAU, Grissom has displayed excellence in the classroom. For her efforts, she was named to the FAU President's List (4.0 GPA in a semester) twice (fall 2018 and fall 2019) and to the Dean's List once (fall 2020). This week, Grissom graduated magna cum laude for an FAU GPA of at least 3.70.
The student-athlete experience is a challenging yet rewarding one. It requires long hours of dedication, commitment, and sacrifice; however, the life lessons learned along the way can adequately prepare one for life post-graduation. Grissom credits her time as a member of the FAU women’s soccer team for getting her ready for the next step in life, one that hopefully will bring her to the skies.
Ironically enough, there’s a good chance that Grissom will be flying planes right next to the FAU Soccer Stadium, where she spent four years on the pitch as an Owl.