\n<\/p>\n
Born in Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, to Nigerian parents, Emba is one of four siblings instilled with traditional African family values.<\/p>\n
“One thing that I’ve been raised in is, if you’re going to do it, do it well. See it through,” she explains.<\/p>\n
“My parents really pushed education first and everything else was secondary.<\/p>\n
“As long as I did what needed to be done in the classroom, I could be outdoors as long as I wanted.<\/p>\n
“It was a very typical African household.”<\/p>\n
Applying those values earned Emba her place at Harvard, one of the world’s most prestigious universities based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
She began her four years there playing as goalkeeper for the women’s football team, but would soon find herself wrapped up in the physical joys of rugby union.<\/p>\n
“Some of my room-mates were on the rugby team and had kept mentioning that I should come out, I’d really like it,” she remembers.<\/p>\n
“As a full-time goalkeeper, I was itching for a bit more movement through the legs. So during the off season, I thought it might be a good chance to explore.”<\/p>\n
Perhaps surprisingly, she was “lulled into it” by training sessions in the snow \u2013 something her team-mates called ‘snugby’ \u2013 in which the cold, powdery conditions lessoned the impact of the tackles.<\/p>\n
“As a goalkeeper there’s a bit of contact, but the referee is there to protect.<\/p>\n
“But in rugby, everyone’s taking a hit, so that was a bit of mindset shift for me.”<\/p>\n
Having proven to be a hit herself, the prospect of playing international sport soon helped make up her mind about whether or not to stick with rugby.<\/p>\n
“The coaches were really encouraging and supportive,” she says.<\/p>\n
“Being invited to the national team camps, and doing my research on the game, and getting more and more excited at seeing the sevens version of the game as well, I just realised that there was an opportunity.<\/p>\n
“And if I went for it and put everything behind it, maybe there was a chance that this dream could come to fruition.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n