Impact Story: Emma Grace Clonan
Emma Grace Clonan graduates from the International Baccalaureate Program at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee this spring, but the young golfer has even bigger plans.
She made history last month as the first Play Like a Girl alumna to sign a letter of intent to continue her athletic career while pursuing a degree in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) next year at Maryville College in the Great Smoky Mountains.
“Knowing what you want and going for it takes courage, but it is so worth it to reach for the stars,” Clonan said at the 3rd annual Women’s Leadership Summit, a women’s empowerment event commemorating Women’s History Month.
See more of Emma and the event here.
The aspiring neuroscientist shared her aspirations during a keynote conversation with television sports reporter, Samaria Terry, at GEODIS Park — home to Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC which hosted the event as part of its International Women’s Day celebration.
Emma also received the 2023 Play Like a Girl Honors award for her scholarship, service, sportspersonship, and spirit. Emma told the crowd that she wants to continue to inspire other girls and young women.
For the past 15 years, Play Like a Girl has recognized amazing individuals including the legendary Louisiana State University women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey and 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys, who are making a difference in our mission to level the playing field for girls and women.
Each honoree receives a personalized, hand-carved award crafted using sustainable wood that won’t harm the environment. Details describing the honoree’s exceptional contributions are etched into the wood. On one side, a quote or personal characteristic that embodies their mission. On the other side, the Play Like a Girl mission is included as a reminder of the honoree’s connection to our work. Each award, like Emma and her fellow Play Like a Girl Honorees, is one of a kind.
At graduation, Emma will receive honors as a member of the National Honor Society—finishing in the top 10% of her class. This academic distinction is determined by the cumulative grade point average earned at Oakland. She is the recipient of the Dan and Melanie Mays McGill Fellowship, the most prestigious academic award available to incoming first-year and transfer students who enroll at Maryville College.
With support from our dedicated and passionate network of monthly donors whom we call our SQUAD, Emma’s Play Like a Girl Honors award included a $2,500 scholarship to cover book expenses left over after the McGill scholarship is applied. It is our hope that this modest scholarship will remove any remaining barrier to Emma successfully completing her first year of college, keeping her in the game and winning for years to come.
Emma has been an elite golfer throughout her time at Oakland. She has played varsity for four years, and ended her final season as the 2022 Regional Golf Champion. But, of course, that’s only the beginning of this young woman’s story.
In addition to being a stellar student-athlete, Emma is serving and shaping the world as a leader in the classroom, on campus and in her community. She led her team in her final season of golf. She is also an active member and leader of several student organizations including Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Best Buddies.
The past several years, Emma has taught golf basics to Play Like a Girl participants and recently joined our team as an intern supporting our girls and staff in incredible ways.
“I love teaching golf to other girls, and I'm so honored whenever I get to introduce beginners to the sport,” she said. “I feel great knowing that I can play a part in other young ladies’ journeys to fall in love with golf—just like I have.”
Play Like a Girl congratulates Emma and her family on this historic and well-deserved opportunity. We were excited to witness her final season as an Oakland Patriot and are eager to support her on her new journey as a Maryville Scot!
About Play Like a Girl Impact Stories
Play Like a Girl is at the forefront of the drive to level the playing field for girls because we envision a world where all girls have the confidence and opportunity to become unstoppable women. Towards that end, we endeavor to leverage the skills girls gain from sport to help propel young women into competitive, male-dominated careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Our impact stories series illustrates the human impact of Play Like a Girl’s work across the United States and the world, often highlighting the donors and partnerships that make this work possible. These stories share how we and our many supporters are working to realize a better world for girls and women—one of equity and empowerment because that is what we do and who we are, as a leader, connector, and provider of programs.
'Hack with Hadley' at the 2022 Women's Leadership Summit
Win a Chance to be Mentored by Game Changing Women!
Read below to learn how you and middle school girls in your life can be a part of the 2nd annual Play Like a Girl Women's Leadership Summit on March 8th.
This #InternationalWomensDay, inspiring women role models, mentors and more are coming together to launch Ready for Any Field, a new campaign inspiring girls to realize their full potential, whether it’s math, science, sports, or the arts.
Women make up half of the total college-educated workforce in the U.S., but constitute only 25 percent of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Ready for Any Field is Play Like a Girl's national campaign celebrating women who are leading the way in the world of STEM to encourage girls to pursue their passions in these competitive, male-dominated fields.
The 2022 Women’s Leadership Summit will bring together a community of inspiring and innovative visionaries whose ambitious actions are changing the world at unprecedented scale. Across industries and generations, the gathering spotlights how leading women are navigating monumental change by unlocking opportunities for women and girls in Nashville and beyond.
Featuring keynote conversations and dynamic panel discussions, the Women's Leadership Summit will convene a diverse range of female luminaries from the worlds of business, media, entertainment and education. The half-day event will unlock new thinking and expand perspectives while also creating an intimate community for women ascending within their careers and expanding their sphere of influence through intimate networking and mentoring moments.
We'll be taking the stage and chatting live with young innovators Samaira Mehta and Medha Aiyah about how they're using STEM in ways you'd never expect, and catching a bunch of behind-the-scenes moments gushing with girl power.
We love to design and build creative projects and see STEM at work! For this year's Summit, we've partnered with Play Like a Girl participant Hadley Hall (pictured here) and mother-daughter engineering duo Dr. Teresa & Trinity Vasquez to showcase how cool STEM can be. And we're getting crafty with a cool DIY project during a special Hack with Hadley segment!
To register for the hybrid experience, visit iplaylikeagirl.org/summit, and make sure you're following along on Instagram (@iplaylikeagirl) and YouTube (Play Like a Girl TV) to tag along for all the fun!
Win a chance to be mentored by game changing women in Nashville! Tell us how sport has prepared you to succeed in any field by submitting your original photos, videos or art via Instagram or Twitter using #ReadyforAnyField. No purchase necessary. Void in AK & HI and where prohibited. Open to legal residents of 48 contiguous US & DC. Starts 2/21/22; ends 2/28/22.
Play Like a Girl Hosts Leading Women in Science and Tech
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Hannah Pike
615-601-1864 | [email protected]
PLAY LIKE A GIRL HOSTS LEADING WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND TECH AT STEM SUMMIT THIS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Play Like a Girl connects middle school girls to women in STEM careers through STEM+ Saturday makerspace labs, lunchtime mentoring in Metro Schools and hands-on experiences
NASHVILLE, Feb. 24, 2020 -- Nashville-based nonprofit Play Like a Girl® will host #GirlsRockSTEM, it’s 10th Annual Summit to educate and empower middle school girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through mentoring and hands-on experiences. Mentors and speakers include leading women scientists like bat conservationist Kristen Lear who will be featured in #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit, a new monumental exhibit of the most women statues ever assembled in one location, at one time. This first-of-its-kind, life-sized 3D printed statue exhibit celebrating the contributions of more than 120 AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors, contemporary female STEM professionals and role models from a variety of industries, is set to debut in May.
“It is critical that our girls have role models and early, positive experiences in STEM so that they’re able to see the unlimited possibilities available to them,” said Dr. Kimberly Clay, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Play Like a Girl. “Our ability to connect girls with women in a wide range of STEM careers is essential to growing a robust and diverse talent pipeline that will drive meaningful growth in our economy both locally and nationally. And we’re so excited and thankful to have employees from local companies including AllianceBernstein, Amazon and Asurion serve as industry mentors and event volunteers.”
The 2020 STEM+ Summit on March 7 will convene 150 girls and their mothers and teachers from across Greater Nashville. Together with industry mentors, they will explore STEM careers through inspiring talks, hands-on activities and interactive makerspace workshops like coding, robotics, virtual reality and so much more. Chief Meteorologist Danielle Breezy will open the conference and serve as event host throughout the day. Dr. Feyi Aworunse, an optometrist at Nashville General Hospital, will deliver the keynote presentation using a series of optical illusions to engage girls in an exciting and impactful conversation about the power of vision. Also speaking at the event are U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn; Deborah Knoll, Tennessee Director of K-12 Programs & STEM Initiatives; and, Sharonese Henderson, UPS IT Solutions Provider and Board member for the Women in STEM Center at Middle Tennessee State University.
Registration for #GirlsRockSTEM is now open through March 3 for all middle school girls grades 5-8 at www.iplaylikeagirl.org. Registration includes admission to all educational sessions, breakfast, lunch, snacks and dessert as well as a celebratory dance party to commemorate Women’s History Month. Girls will also enjoy a live DJ, LUNAFEST® short films and a screening of CBS’s hot new show Mission Unstoppable, photo booths, sponsor goodies and limited edition #GirlsRockSTEM merchandise on sale at the event. A parent or adult chaperone is required to attend the event with each girl or group of up to 8 girls. Scholarships are available by calling (615) 601-1864. Wells Fargo is event sponsor.
The Play Like a Girl STEM+ Summit will be held at Middle Tennessee State University’s Student Union Center in Murfreesboro. For more information, visit www.iplaylikeagirl.org.
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ABOUT PLAY LIKE A GIRL
Play Like a Girl is a Nashville-based national 501(c)3 charitable organization founded in 2004. Our mission is to ensure that every girl reaches her full potential by providing girls ages 9-13 an opportunity—and in many cases, their only chance—to participate in sport and physical activity. We offer programs and resources designed to transform girls’ motivation into an “I am unstoppable” attitude. It is our goal to help girls everywhere find the courage to do things beyond the field of play that they never thought possible. Ultimately, we seek to harness the natural properties of sport to propel young women into competitive, male-dominated careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We believe that girls given the opportunity to play on a team become women who have the confidence to stand on their own. For more information, visit iplaylikeagirl.org, and join us on social media @iplaylikeagirl.