Emily Atkins is a former hockey player and a current student at Harvard University. While attending Choate Rosemary Hall, Emily was a star player on both the Mid Fairfield Stars hockey team and the varsity team at Choate. After graduating, she decided to pursue hockey further at Grand Canyon University. However, after sustaining two traumatic head injuries, Emily shifted her life’s path and is now working toward a master’s degree in Biotechnology at Harvard University.

In this episode…

Imagine this: you’re an all-star hockey player who has paved the way for women in your sport. You’ve received offers from multiple D1 and Ivy League colleges asking you to play for them. Then, your world crashes down on you.

That’s what happened to former hockey player Emily Atkins. Emily played on various varsity and all-star hockey teams throughout high school and college before sustaining two major head injuries that cut her sports career short. Although Emily stopped playing hockey, she found her true calling in academic medicine—and now her story and legacy live on for girls and women in sports everywhere.

On this inspiring episode of the Sports Up Podcast, host Meredith Syms sits down with former hockey player and current student at Harvard University, Emily Atkins. Emily shares her experience as a female in a male-dominated sport, her journey to playing for a D1 hockey team, and her career-ending injuries that altered the direction of her life. She also discusses her exciting future plans and goals. You don’t want to miss this!