Shelbyville Valedictorian headed to Butler with goal of attending medical school

One would not expect the valedictorian of Shelby County’s largest graduating class to embrace the idea of taking study hall.

Emmie Higgins, Shelbyville High School’s Class of 2025 Valedictorian, embraced a study hall period to keep herself on track while also competing as a golfer and tennis player.

“I am a big proponent of taking study hall. A lot of people are scared to take study hall because they think it will drop their (grade point average) because it doesn’t add into the average,” explained Higgins. “It really helped me because I had time during the day to get my stuff done. I wasn’t swamped a 9 o’clock every night. A big thing for me was focusing on how I am going to keep up and do well with the things I’m doing.”

Higgins did not envision herself a top 10 student in her graduating class when she arrived at the high school as a freshman. She was ranked No. 6 after her first two semesters.

“I didn’t think I would be in the top 10,” she said, “but if I’m going to be No. 6 I might as well keep trying and see what I can do. Then I was No. 2 so I knew I could be No. 1.

“It kind of became a goal but I also didn’t put that specific pressure on myself. I play sports, there is already so much pressure that I didn’t need the added pressure. Deep down though, I knew I could do it.”

Higgins credits her athletic career as a Golden Bear for helping her achieve so much more as she prepares to enroll at Butler University and major in Health Sciences.

“I learned how to balance a schedule. I learned how to stay on a schedule and remember things and keep track of all my things,” said Higgins. “Just through playing sports, I learned how to keep a level head when things weren’t going my way. I learned how to work with others.”

Those traits also will help her after graduation from Butler when she enrolls in medical school. Higgins’ initial interest is studying Neurology and how the brain works.

Higgins wants to stay active at Butler while not continuing her athletic career.

“I want to start slow,” she said. “I tend to get involved in trying a bunch of things at once and realizing I’ve done too much. I want to get out and meet people and make friends and have something to do.”

While playing tennis was just something to do in the spring, Higgins expects golf to always be a part of her life. She was a regional qualifier in 2023 for the Golden Bears.

With several family members who play, that made the transition into the sport quite easy. And she progressed quickly after playing just one year of middle school golf and not joining the high school program until she was a sophomore.

Higgins admits she does not yet have a bucket list of golf courses established in her mind to play although visiting Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, currently occupies the top spot.

“When we go on vacation, we will look around and see if there are golf courses around,” she explained. “I want to go to the Masters one day and see it, but I just like golfing wherever it is.”

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed.