Emily Rugg lives in Birmingham, Alabama, where she moved as a teenager with her family in 2005. She shares three cats with her husband of two years. She is a sophomore who is transferring to the University of Alabama at Birmingham from Jefferson State Community College. While at Jefferson State Community College, she participated in the Multicultural Student Association, eventually earning the honor of Vice President. She also enjoyed the opportunity to work in their International Students Department. When Emily begins at UAB this August, she will major in Sociology, minoring in Philosophy and Law and Legal Affairs. She plans to attend law school after completing her bachelor’s degree.

Her interests lie in working with disadvantaged communities, primarily Native American communities. Through her mother, Emily descends from the Ojibwe and has family members who are active in the Henvey Inlet First Nation. She spent many summers in Ontario, Canada, with time spent around and on the reservation. Through these experiences and her own family stories, she learned early about the struggles and hardships that many Native Americans and their communities face every day. Her goal is to become a legal advocate for Native American communities and other similarly disadvantaged communities. Emily enjoys baking and graphic design when not attending class, studying, or working part-time.