Hearing the name senior Gia Emelie may bring to mind many titles: skilled soccer player on Harker’s Davis Field, former teammate on the girls water polo team at the Singh Aquatic Center and a frequent visitor to Harker’s weight room during lunch. 

Gia credits her father for inspiring her to pursue fitness through various activities, from track to swimming to soccer. At the start of her junior year, she began regularly training in the weight room, following Coach Lauren Brown and Marlen Castaneda’s regimens. 

Consistency remains one of the biggest lessons Gia learned from working out, whether she’s swimming in a local pool, playing soccer on the field or weightlifting in the weight room. This realization stemmed from her willingness to throw herself into a variety of sports, each presenting its own mental challenges, which reminded her of the importance of discipline.

“The first time you reach a mental block, you’ve barely used all your energy,” Gia said. “A few laps in and you’ll be like, ‘Oh, I can’t do this anymore.’ And that’s when I know, ‘Okay, I can do more.’ Even if I feel tired, just saying, ‘If I did all this last time, I could do more than that.’”

Close friend senior Saanvi Bhargava admires Gia’s commitment to so many varied activities in her pursuit of health and athleticism.  

“Gia has so many diverse interests, and she is super into weightlifting and soccer,” Saanvi said. “A lot of her time goes to her self improvement in that form, and that’s incredible.” 

While fitness started off as an individual journey for Gia as she strived to overcome her own mental barriers, she also used sports as an opportunity to connect with others in the same community. Although initially shy about approaching others for help, she now relies on her peers, who range from fellow teens to elderly individuals, to push her in her athletic journey. 

“One of the other guys at the pool, he’s in his 60s or 70s, and he’s still able to come and do a great workout,” Gia said. “He knows how to push me and he can correct my technique and then also be like, ‘Okay, next time you’re doing a little more than that, to keep going.’ I think once you get used to a space, you realize everyone’s there for the same reason.”

Robotics mentor and computer science department chair Eric Nelson, who worked with Gia in the classroom and in the after school robotics program, credits Gia’s affinity toward leaning into unfamiliar activities and learning for her success in the classroom. 

“Gia is inquisitive,” Dr. Nelson said. “Even if she did not find the material easy to understand, she wasn’t detracted by the fact that it didn’t come to her.”

Close friend senior Bhavya Srinivasan pinpoints Gia’s ability to easily form connections as the root of her steadfast willingness to learn and try new things. Gia’s improvised and experimental nature are the underlying factor behind many fond memories Bhavya shared with her. 

“It’s her openness to spontaneity, and her being down for anything that makes it so easy to be friends with her,” Bhavya said. “Even if she is having a bad day, she’s not going to project that. She’s just a very positive person.”

Gia’s motivated and positive approach to self-improvement and physical exercise goes hand-in-hand with her love for cooking and preparing meals on her own. 

“Growing up, my parents were always about a balanced diet,” Gia said. “We cook our meals at home, we don’t eat out, we don’t order in. So when I cook meals, it’s definitely with that in mind.”

For Gia, cooking isn’t limited to eating healthy and maintaining her individual well-being: growing up in a multiethnic family made cooking a way to connect with relatives. Now, as a tradition, Gia prepares Thanksgiving dinners for the nearly 20 guests who attend the occasion. 

“I got this incredible vodka pasta recipe for my aunt because she’s Italian,” Gia said. “I make these spring rolls that I got from my grandpa who’s Vietnamese. My grandmother who’s Spanish has some fantastic paella recipes.”

Like her involvement in sports, cooking for Gia ultimately centers on closely working with and learning from those around her. Reflecting on memories of cooking with her family, Gia detailed her custom of making Indian food with her maternal grandmother. 

“Before my grandmother died, we had this little tradition where whenever we went to visit her, she would make shahi paneer, bhindi and rotis,” Gia said. “I would always help her make the roti. We’d do a little production line of my grandpa rolling them out, my grandma cooking them, and then me buttering them.”

From her triage of sports to her love for cooking for her family, Gia has wholeheartedly embraced the challenges that the journey of self-improvement brings. Dr. Nelson admires Gia’s determination to take on hard tasks, which he identifies as a key trait of hers. 

“Rather than taking things to get the highest grade, she takes things to actually learn something that you haven’t mastered yet,” Dr. Nelson said. “She doesn’t walk around a challenge.”

Gia’s journey toward self-improvement has been both individual and community-oriented. Most importantly, her dedication toward her physical health has manifested in her value for commitment and persistence in any endeavor she adopts. 

“Fitness is not just about this strength, it’s also about how you do it,” Gia said. “It teaches you discipline, and that discipline will help me in other aspects of my life.”