It's 5:30 in the morning during the summer of 2009, and most Brooklyn residents are still asleep.
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But not NYU guard Emily Foshag.
The junior from Los Angeles is already on her morning jog through a nearby park. After running, she'll head off to her summer internship, and when she gets back, she will meet teammate and friend Chelsea Blake at Coles Sports Center, where the two will work out until the gym closes. Foshag won't get to sleep until almost midnight before she wakes up the next day to do it all again.
As hard as it may be to believe, Foshag's summer is indicative of how she always works — intensely and tirelessly. This season, Foshag's presence in practice has been invaluable for the Violets, who have endured an up-and-down year.
"I don't know how she does what she does," Blake said. "Her motivation to succeed and work hard is unreal."
How Foshag makes time to do what she does remains a mystery even to her, but she always seems to find a way.
"My attitude has always been that if you want to make time to do something, you will find a way to do it," Foshag said.
Last year, she analyzed her AP and community college credits from high school that transferred to NYU and realized she could minimize her student debt by graduating a year early. This May, Foshag will do just that, after playing basketball for three years and consistently holding an outside job.
She also coached a youth basketball team, routinely takes time to talk to middle school students about the importance of academics and athletics, and is a two-time UAA all-academic honoree.
When she graduates, the Stern accounting major will begin work at Franklin Templeton Investments in a two-year rotational program that was offered to her after an elaborate three-round interview process during which she met with upper management employees as well as the company's CFO.
As remarkable as her life may be, Foshag said others have played a big role in her accomplishments, even at Franklin Templeton.
"I absolutely loved the people," she said. "Everything that I have been fortunate enough to do up until this point has honestly been a product of being surrounded by great people."
That's not to say that her work ethic hasn't been the primary factor in her success. It's even something her coaches noticed the moment she arrived in the fall of 2007.
"You could tell right away that she was the type of kid who would work really hard," said NYU head coach Stefano Trompeo, who was an assistant during Foshag's freshman year when she played her way onto the team.
Trompeo is thankful to have such a dedicated leader on his team and thinks Foshag is a positive influence on her teammates. Having already completed the Violets' summer workouts on her own, Foshag began playing pick-up games at Coles when former head coach Janice Quinn spotted her. Despite nine other freshmen on the NYU roster, Foshag quickly earned a spot on the team.
"It is inspiring and motivating," Blake said. "She is truly someone I admire in every aspect of what she does."
