How Emma Spence has Grown Closer to Her Community

Thanks to service opportunities

Nebraska junior Emma Spence came to Lincoln as an outsider in more ways than one. The Canadian hadn’t visited campus until she moved in as a result of her home country’s border restrictions. She also needed help with her classes because she did her schooling in French, not English. On top of that, she switched her major twice. She began as a nutrition major before realizing after her first semester that she didn’t want to work with blood and injuries, then she switched it to speech pathology for a year and a half before realizing she wanted more career opportunities, then she settled on communication studies.

Despite all the changes in Spence’s time as a student, one thing has been consistent: community service. In each of her first two years, she’s been named a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team, one that recognizes student-athletes in good standing who do a minimum of six service projects each year. Each team tries to get as many athletes on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team as possible, and the goal is to try and get everyone on the roster on that team.

Spence says she enjoys the chance to get to connect with others through service.

“I just like learning from different people, meeting different people, hearing the stories they have to share and just seeing how happy they are when we come to visit them. It just makes it all worth it, all the hard times that we go through, sometimes it makes you realize it wasn’t that bad and makes you feel grateful for what you have and where you’re at.”

Some of the events in which Spence and the team participate include Boo at the Zoo at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, a Halloween event, volunteering at the local soup kitchen and nursing home visits. She also makes visits to local schools on her own instead of with the whole team.

Spence says it’s a major honor to be a member of the citizenship team, but it’s about more than the award. It’s something fun for her to do that allows her to explore what Lincoln has to offer and learn about its culture. That said, she does find it challenging seeing how much people are struggling.

“I’m very fortunate, and so is my team, to have everything that we have being part of the university and the athletic department; just seeing some people that are struggling, especially at the homeless shelter is hard to see sometimes because sometimes we take things for granted, but then you talk to the people and you meet these people and they’re all fantastic people.”

Spence plans on continuing her volunteering work. Right now, she’s focused on the upcoming NCAA season. When that’s done, she’ll get back to training elite for the upcoming Canadian Olympic trials in an attempt to be the second active Nebraska gymnast at the 2024 Paris Olympic

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