A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Emily Harvey

Emily-HarveyHaving lived in Northwest Indiana from the time that she was six months old, Emily Harvey has always enjoyed living in the area with her parents, sister, and brother. She is strongly dedicated to the community she calls home.

Currently, Harvey is a sophomore at Crown Point High School, with a 4.3 GPA and is ranked at 15/648 in her class. Previously, Harvey attended a private middle school, Crown Point Christian, which was on a much smaller scale compared to the high school. One of her favorite classes at the high school is here Spanish II Immersion course, which is a class where the students are taught Spanish in Spanish – absolutely no English is allowed in the classroom.

"I love it, mainly because of my teacher, Mr. Gonzalez," Harvey said. "He's very excited and passionate about teaching us, and he makes all of us laugh by acting out the words that we're learning. He knows how to make us all feel comfortable and keep us interested in learning. It's great to be a part of his class."

Outside of the classroom, Harvey is involved in a number of extracurricular activities. She is a member of the Word of Life, which is a Christian Bible study at Crown Point High School that meets once a week for worship and fellowship. She is also a member of the Crown Point High School Orchestra, playing the violin. Currently she takes lessons from a professor at Valparaiso University, and in the past has taught private lessons to young children. She also offers her talents for weddings and corporate events. She is also a member of the Crown Point High School Varsity golf team, which she has been a part of since her freshman year, helping her team advance to the 2013 IHSAA Regional tournament, earning Rookie of the Year honors and the Scholar Athlete Award. She is also an active member of the Northwest Junior Golf Association and the Indiana Junior Golf Association where she plays in various events.

"I love being part of a group or team," Harvey said. "It's such a rewarding experience, and a wonderful opportunity to work with others as a cohesive unit. I have so much fun working with my fellow team members, and I couldn't ask for better people to be around."

In her spare time, outside of school, Harvey volunteers her time with various organizations. She is an active member in the Bethel Church Youth Ministries where she serves in the Children's Ministry and the Senior Care Ministries. This summer, she served on a local mission trip to Gary, IN where she lived and worked in the community for seven days, teaching young children and doing volunteer work in the neighborhood. She also volunteers at the Crown Point Christian School teaching the violin to young children. Harvey is also active with The First Tee of Valparaiso, which is an internationally recognized program designed to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. Harvey enjoys being active in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes and The American Heart Association. Currently, Harvey is also getting ready to donate a large portion of her hair to Locks of Love, which she has done on occasion before.

"God has richly blessed me and I believe in the importance of giving back to others," Harvey said. "I love being able to help others, especially those in need in my community. It's an indescribable feeling, being able to help others in so many different ways. I couldn't imagine living my life any other way."

In what remains of her spare time, Harvey enjoys reading any book that comes across her path. Her favorites include the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. She also loves writing, and wrote a novel entitled The Thirteenth Song for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which is available on Amazon.