AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior Mira Emma realizes that she’s in a fortunate situation. A fifth-year senior and three-time captain of the Iowa State soccer program, Emma is “everything and more that a coach could ask for,” according to head coach Matt Fannon.
Across her five years in Ames, Emma has led teammates both on and off the field while also exploring her passions in both community service and horticulture and turfgrass management.
An Iowa State soccer staple, Emma has played in all 65 possible matches leading into her super senior season, starting 58 of them. She’s a proven contributor who’s done it over the span of four seasons. Yet, she still finds it humbling to see the support from those within the program.
“It’s really cool to have my teammates, support staff, coaches and everyone who is involved be able to look at me as an inspiration,” said Emma. “Everything that I do every single day is to make sure that other people can reach their full potential. My goal as a leader is to never let them down.”
Mira is a true team player in the sense that she would rather talk about her teammates than herself. More specifically, she had nothing but praise for her former teammate and best friend, Jordan Silkowitz. Silkowitz was ISU’s goalkeeper for the past three seasons and was drafted into the NWSL this past January.
“I could talk about Jordan for probably two days straight,” she starts. “She’s hands down my best friend and is one of the best things that has come out of Iowa State to me.”
Emma continued her admiration for Silkowitz, claiming that Jordan “came in and absolutely raised the level of soccer and raised this program. It’s hard to put into words what she’s done here. Her work ethic, determination and grit are out of this world. That’s why you can obviously see all the accolades that she’s gotten, reaching the NWSL level and chasing her dreams.”
Emma’s captaincy extends far beyond the field for the Cyclones, as the Wheaton, Illinois native is often tasked with helping plan team outings which can range from bowling to team nights; however, her favorite way to spend time with her team off the field is within the community.
“Community service is something that I pride myself in and I hope others can pride themselves in too,” said Emma. “The warm feeling that it gives you to truly help out others and make their lives better is something that’s hard to make out of nothing.”
Emma’s favorite community service initiative came this past summer when she was fortunate enough to participate in what she described as a “life-changing experience.”
Mira, three soccer teammates and ten other Iowa State student-athletes volunteered for a service trip to Costa Rica in conjunction with Courts for Kids. The Courts for Kids organization works within communities to build sports courts, offering safe places for children to play and other benefits.
“Just seeing how genuine you can make relationships in such a short period of time with people you’d just met was the highlight of the trip,” said Emma. “They were the happiest people ever. It makes you think about the little things we take for granted. Do I need this, or do I want this?”
Emma’s biggest takeaway from the trip is a new mindset. One she describes as “having intentionality in everything that I do.” She continues, “Being intentional with your actions, your words and relationships are all important because you never know when they’re going to be gone.”
Mira couldn’t mention the Costa Rica service trip without giving thanks to the event’s organizer, Lindsey Long. “She has helped develop me as a student-athlete and showed me how to develop networking skills. Lindsey helps make the athletic experience here at Iowa State the best it can be.”
Another passion of Emma’s is her line of work – horticulture and turfgrass management. Mira initially had Iowa State listed as one of her primary college options coming out of high school because it offered exactly the field of study she was interested in. A scholarship opportunity to play soccer as a Cyclone was the icing on the cake.
“Before I even started (as a player), my academic advisor, Adam Thoms, in the horticulture department called me and said I have a job lined up for you,” said Emma. “I had a job instantly (when I got on campus). Within a week, I was working 7-4. Workouts at 6 am, go straight to work for eight hours. Maintaining fields, mowing, weed-eating, painting and making sure football has the equipment they needed out there.”
Though Emma plays soccer for the Cyclones, she says her preferred athletic field to manage is actually baseball.
“I grew up playing baseball for seven years and I’ve always had a passion for the game,” said Emma. “As much as I love soccer, I would always show up early at baseball practice and stay late to make sure the infield was dragged, that the dirt was perfect.”
Being an Illinois native, Mira grew up a Cubs fan and has followed the team since childhood. During soccer media day, a question was posed to all players, “What is your dream job?” Emma answered: being the head groundskeeper of the Chicago Cubs.
Fast forward to the summer after her junior campaign and she had an internship with the Cubs and their field management department. The organization had seen her media day answer make the rounds on social media and reached out to her regarding a potential summer connection.
“It was so surreal. That’s my dream job, to be an MLB groundskeeper – the head groundskeeper of the Chicago Cubs. It’s pretty crazy how social media worked in such a positive way.”
Emma continued, “Without Adam (Thoms), I wouldn’t have had the opportunity with the Cubs, as he was the one who helped put me in contact with them. My experiences also wouldn’t have been possible without Barb Clawson. She’s the student services director who oversees the horticulture department and helped me get my first job in athletics at Iowa State.”
This past summer, Emma was able to gain more valuable internship experience as she worked at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, which houses both the Louisville City FC (USL) and Racing Louisville FC (NWSL).
Mira says that her experience with Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC was a completely different experience from the Cubs. “Baseball is more dealing with dirt/not working specifically with grass all the time,” she states. “Where soccer, it’s all grass and you’ve got to make sure it’s right.”
In Louisville, Emma was able to work under Iowa State graduate Aaron Fink, the head groundskeeper of the soccer clubs. Fink was named the 2022 Groundskeeper of the Year by the USL.
So, in total, Emma has experience with Iowa State athletics, the Chicago Cubs and a pair of professional soccer clubs.
“My experiences at Iowa State were the foundation that I built upon with the Cubs and then from there, I was able to learn more and tie it together at Louisville,” said Emma. “So, it was really cool to see the stepping stones over the past four years that I’ve learned.”
Mira and the Cyclone soccer team will begin their regular season on Thursday, August 17, at the Cyclone Soccer Complex against future Big 12 opponent Arizona. Thursday’s match is set to begin at 6 p.m. and admission to Iowa State home matches is free.
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