She's an outstanding student who finished first in her class, a six-year member of the Phil Campbell softball team, president of her senior class and senior editor of the school yearbook.
So what makes Emma Ergle nervous? Not much, except giving a Valedictorian address to an audience full of her classmates and their families. As with most of what Ergle does, though, she came through the experience successful.
“I was extremely nervous,” Ergle said. “It's different than anything I ever had to do. It took a long time to come to terms that I had to go up and give a speech in front of everyone in my school and their families. It's such a formal setting. I had a lot of worries whether my speech would be good, if people could hear me, if I'd be talking loud and clear enough. There's more that goes into it than just giving a speech. But I think it went alright,” she added.
Ergle is Valedictorian of the Phil Campbell High School Class of 2022. The daughter of Chad and Shanda Ergle, Emma began at Phil Campbell after attending East Franklin Junior High School through sixth grade.
Although she wanted to do well in school, finishing first in her class was never a goal for Ergle.
“Honestly, it never crossed my mind,” Ergle said of finishing first in her class. “From the beginning of high school, I said I want to do my best, work hard in every class and it was just an added bonus at the end to be recognized as Valedictorian.”
Ergle will enroll at the University of Alabama this fall where she will pursue a degree in Computer Science. Ergle received a Presidential Scholarship from Alabama, a $2,500 scholarship from the College of Engineering, a $3,000 Bryant Jordan Scholarship and $2,500 scholarship from Essity of North America.
At Phil Campbell, Ergle followed the path of her sister (Karli Hill) and tried out for softball. It turned out to be a great decision.
“My sister played when I was really young, and as a younger sister I wanted to do anything she did,” Ergle said. “I started pitching and really liked it. I met a lot of people through softball. My closest friends are people I played softball with my whole life.”
Asked to name her most challenging class in high school, Ergle answered immediately.
“Pre-calculus. It was rough. We had a good teacher (LeeAnn Moore) and she got us all through it. She was always patient and did a good job explaining things,” Ergle said.
Ergle holds all her teachers in high regard. As she prepares for the next phase of her education, Ergle reflected on how much a caring and dedicated faculty meant to her and her fellow students.
“Our teachers were great. They knew you and your situation and always did their best to make sure you're on the right path,” Ergle said.
Ergle chose Computer Science as a degree plan because of the number of job openings in the field.
“Cyber security is becoming more important now in our world and I thought it would be a good place to start off. I took a computer science class (at school) this year and a programming class on my own,” Ergle said.
When the day comes where she's standing in her new dorm room, Ergle said there may be a few tears falling, but she's looking forward to making the move to Tuscaloosa.
“I'm pretty excited about it. It's not a big emotional thing for me. But when I'm in the dorm and my parents are driving off to go back home it might be a different story,” Ergle said. “I'll meet my roommate and start from there. I'm excited about it.”
Whatever doors open for Ergle professionally and personally, she'll always have her parents to thank for those opportunities.
“They get all the credit. They always made sure I had everything I needed to go for any goal I wanted,” Ergle said. “They've been a really good support system for me in every way and every thing I've accomplished.”
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