Talented, dedicated, and welcoming are some of the many qualities that AVHS junior Emily Westcot has. Expressing interest in the multiple activities that Apple Valley has to offer, Westcot finds herself spending time with the various groups of people within the AV community.

Wescot has been known to inspire many people and is always trying to lift up the people around her. AVHS senior Annemarie Roggow speaks to this truth:  “Emily inspires me through her dedication and commitment through everything she does. She will give things 110%, but more than that she is kind and fair to everyone.”

Spending most of her time helping others, you will mainly find her after school working with theatre production or the mock trial team.

When it comes to theatre production, Wescot started showing a huge amount of interest at the age of 15. From stage managing the plays and Broadway productions at AVHS, to getting the honor of being on set of a huge television show, Westcot has grown to understand both the theatre and production business and has become well versed in each.

Westcot has always loved the performing arts and as she got older she started to express interest in the production side of theater. Although, at one point Westcot dreamed of performing herself, she has found a new passion that feeds her arts obsession through the production side of things. “I’ve always been naturally drawn to the performing arts; it’s just always been a part of me I guess,” said Westcott. Whether in front of the camera or behind it, she feels most comfortable with the arts.

Every year Westcot has the opportunity to go out to California and watch the filming of a well known television show. This year happened to be for the X-Factor, where she was shooting in the houses of  Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne. From this unique experience, Westcot learned many things about the production business and felt a sense of familiarity of being on set, which isn’t the same as being in a theater chair.  

“Every shoot I have participated in has been a different but rewarding experience,” said Westcot. “Each time, I learn ten times more than I did before, and my love for the entertainment industry grows.” 

As for education, Westcot’s dream school is Pepperdine in Malibu, California, where she’d like to major in theater and media production. The production business is really competitive, but her way of interning as a sophomore in high school has helped her put her name out there, rather than later in college.  This is key in gaining experience, which will help her in the industry.  

Her talent also translates into mock trial, choir, and the tennis team. Being on the mock trial team for the past three years and also being captain of the 2016- 2017 season (where they’ve won the South Suburban Conference three years in a row) represents the drive Westcot has to help others and herself succeed. Westcot has also received four best witness awards during the course of her three years on the mock trial team.                                                                                                                              

“Emily is very talented member of the mock trial team,” said coach Eric Strauss. “What really separates her is her leadership. Emily’s teammates look up to her and she is always willing to take the time out of her busy schedule to help out with whatever she can.”

On her own time she writes for Odyssey, an international newspaper and blogging platform.  Odyssey came to Westcot’s attention by a group of friends who wrote for the online newspaper. Westcot gets to generates her own topics for articles and then gets to publish them to the site. More recently, Westcot published an article titled “How To Get Things Done,” where she speaks about procrastination and how it can be a benefit and a drawback.

“I’ve always been looking for a public platform to express my ideas and it seemed like the perfect place,” Westcot said.

There’s no question that Wescot has got some great things coming in her future.

                Did you know……..

• Is in 7 different activities
• Has met 100 different celebrities
• Skipped an awards ceremony for Taco Bell