WWU's Emma Smith feels connected to her tribe even during the 'absolute pain' of a long-distance race

Emma Smith is in her final year of eligibility for the Women’s Cross-Country and Track & Field teams at WWU. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Emma’s family is from the Salt River Pima Indian Community in Arizona. Emma is majoring in Accounting and will graduate in 2026. In this conversation Emma shares more about her family, culture, and running career.

This is the second of three profiles of Indigenous student-athletes written by Brandon Joseph in support of honoring Native American Heritage Month at Western. Joseph is the director of Student Resilience for Counseling, Health, and Wellness and the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Designee for Athletics at WWU. As a Koyukon Athabascan and Muscogee Creek scholar and practitioner, one of Brandon’s focus areas is the historical aspects of Indigeneity and sport, particularly in lacrosse, as well as the experiences of contemporary collegiate Native athletes, and sport as a way to facilitate culture and wellbeing.

Brandon: What made you choose WWU?

Emma: I started out at University of San Diego my freshman year and it just really wasn't the right fit. I feel like people wise, location wise, just the vibe wasn't right. And then I visited a friend who went to Western and it was my first time here and by the end of that trip I was like, yeah, I'm transferring here. I was only here like a weekend. And in the winter. But, I feel like it's a mini Portland. I think the vibes are really similar. Everyone's just really chill and down to talk. I don't really find people with huge egos here, so that's nice.

So you've been here how many years then? And how has it been being on the cross country team?

This is my third year here. I've loved it. It's been amazing. I feel like we have such a big group of girls who want to be close and create that tight-knit community. And so if there's drama or problems, we really try to just hash it out. Just really create a space where everyone feels welcomed and I think we've really done that and I feel really welcomed there. I love my coaches. I feel like they really want us to get better. I mean, we just won our 7th Conference championship in a row. So just a really competitive environment and everyone pushing to be better.

What about you individually … What has it been like to be a college athlete?

I started out my first year here not doing that well on the team. And then by the end of my first year, I was like, no, I'm going to make the travel team. I'm going to move up like 10 spots. And I did. And I really proved to myself that through hard work, I can really do anything I want. I love setting goals and I love working every day towards those goals.

This is your final year of eligibility as an athlete, but you will return to finish your degree. How will that feel being finished with running in college?

I'm a fourth year, but I'm doing 5. After this year I'm done with cross country. So next year, I'll just be going to school, but not as an athlete, which will be weird. Just being surrounded by it all, but then not being able to participate. And just like seeing my teammates around and kind of being on the outside. But, it'll be a good time to really focus on school. I'm an accounting major, so to focus on taking the CPA exams and stuff.

When do you first remember falling in love with running?

I feel like I've fallen in love with running multiple times. When I first started in high school it was really the community and my friends that interested me -- and then COVID hit, and so I couldn't be with my friends. So, it was really like, why am I running? I had to reevaluate that. And then again setting goals and achieving them is really a big confidence booster. So I just liked pushing myself in that way. And then coming to college and coming here, again falling in love with my teammates in the community and then back to just pushing myself. So I feel like it's those two things, I like being competitive and I like the community.

You grew up in Portland, but your tribe is from Arizona. What has it been like to stay connected to your culture and community?

I haven't spent a lot of time on my reservation with my people, but I always feel their support. I talk with my advisor over there, named Mario. He always checks in on me and makes sure I'm doing well. I tell him about my running stuff and what I'm doing. I started the Native club at my high school, and he was very much in support of that. And then my teacher there who helped me got in contact with my tribe and then I got recognized and given a gift at my graduation from them, which was a big surprise. And so I feel like even though I'm not always there and physically connected with them, I feel very much supported by them.

Talk more about that. What did it mean to you to get a graduation gift from your tribe?

It was very emotional. I was totally not expecting it. It was such an honor. It was a shell that had a bunch of designs on it. And I'm not totally knowledgeable of it. But he sent a long letter describing what it is and when I showed that to my family, they were very proud of me. And so just having their stamp of approval on what I'm doing was a huge thing.

Can you share some of the challenges of urban Natives and keeping that connection to your people?

I just felt like there weren't that many (Natives) around. And so it was really hard feeling super connected to my people and everything growing up. My family started the Native American Youth Association (NAYA) in Portland. So that was really my connection to everyone because we would always do after school programs and summer camps and spring break camps or whatever. I was really able to connect in that aspect. I also went to a Native Montessori, so just seeing all of my peers grow up through that. I played in a lot of Native basketball tournaments and so seeing Natives on the Rez versus city Natives playing together was always humbling.

There’s a big basketball tournament in Pendleton, Oregon and that was always very intense. I was always so small and everyone was always so big, but it definitely toughened me up. But I feel like a lot of my Native friends who are athletes are very aggressive and very intense. Not necessarily just physically, you know? They’re mentally very hungry. And so, I just like looking up to them, and seeing what they're doing now motivates me.

Did you play any other sports?

I've played basketball and volleyball and soccer and cheerleading and track. Tap dance. Everything.

How did you settle on cross country?

Going later into my high school years I couldn't really see myself playing basketball for the rest of my life, but I was really enjoying running. And so I was like, OK, I'll just see where this takes me. And I was not expecting to run in college. But I'm glad that I did.

I started running my sophomore year for the first time really at all. I've played basketball all my life and so it's like, OK, if I'm not good enough to play basketball in college - well, I thought I wasn't - then, how would I run in college when I just started doing it? But I had a really supportive coach and a lot of my other teammates would run in college. So it just made it seem more accessible I guess.

Being one of a few Native athletes at WWU, what has the experience been like for you?

I feel like I'm always just searching for the people that I can relate to. It's hard to find, especially in my major. I haven't really heard of any Native people. And then going to the Native American Student Union club or having the club meetings at practice time sometimes, that was really hard. Just wanting to be closer with Native students, but then not being able to because of athletics.

I really just try to educate when I can, but then on the other hand, I try to think of the words that my grandparents give me. My grandpa was a boxing coach for the Olympics for a little bit. And so just knowing the dedication that it takes. Just trying to make my family proud and just remembering Native runners like Billy Mills. And just trying to embody them.

Can you share more about your grandpa? You said he coached for the Olympics. That seems like a big deal.

Yeah, I think it was 1996. I have this right here (shows memorabilia) that says that, yeah, ‘96. And he's very proud of that. He coached Muhammad Ali for a little bit. And you know a lot of other big names. He has a picture of it (Ali) in the house. He just knows a lot about sports and how to get good at them. He's from Warm Springs, Oregon.

What made you choose Accounting as your major?

I'm the type of person that's very literal and loves rules, and so I took my first accounting class and I was like, this makes sense. I like this. So I kept going and I don't regret my decision at all. I love all my classes. I enjoy what I'm learning, and I think it's a very reliable career.

What are your goals for that? Not to stress you out or rush anything.

I have like a 10 year plan. I want to be a CPA and I have an internship set up at Deloitte for next summer, which is one of the big four accounting firms. It's a corporate job, but I think it will give me a lot of opportunities. And so my goal was just to become a CPA, work there, and then maybe eventually open my own firm or something like that. But recently a speaker came into my tax class, and he's also Native – he's Navajo – and he's a special agent working for the IRS in the Criminal Investigation Unit. So he uses accounting to crack down on white collar criminals. I started talking to him about that after class. That sounds really interesting. So, I don't know, maybe I'll be a special agent. But whatever I do I just want to be the best at it. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to be the best. It's like, if I'm going to be a CPA, I'm going to start my own firm. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to be a special agent. Whatever I do, I'm going to reach for the highest possible thing.

Do you think sports and competition help you with your accounting studies?

Yeah, I feel like with running especially, you have to do it every single day for months and years leading up to competition. My coach always says that the work we're putting in right now - yeah,

it's going to help right now - but it's also going to help in a year from now. And so working every single day on something that you can't really see that much improvement on, I think really helps me with studying or with school. I'm really laying the foundation for my career right now. Even though I'm not getting any benefits right now. So just, working every day for a long term goal. I think running has really helped me do that and just be patient.

I always wondered what it's like to run in a circle that many times. What is that experience like? What keeps you going?

In the 10K, it is 25 laps. You kind of just got to black out. You got to shut your brain off for a little bit. And then wake up when it's halfway done, and then start thinking. But it's a long time. The 10K is like 37 minutes of running in a circle. It's a lot. It's really hard, but my thoughts are very simple. It's like, 'oh wow, last time I was here, I was thinking about this.' And then I'll come to that same spot. 'Ohh…last time I was here I was thinking about this' and it's not a lot going on.

Can you talk more about that? The mental toughness or flexibility of having to run; runner's high, things like that. Are those real things and how do you use them to your advantage?

Running is one of the only sports that you're in pain, like absolute pain the entire time. I feel like with basketball and stuff, at least you get to start out the game feeling good, being able to take a break and stuff. But with running, you start and you're just in pain and you just have to finish. Telling yourself to go faster, to pass someone. While, all you want to do is just stop, it’s really hard and it's something that I’m still working on. But then, with runners high, that's totally a thing. And I feel like when you're running and you know you're running a fast pace, but it just feels easy and it feels like you're floating. It's a crazy feeling. And so, it's definitely worth it. And also running in beautiful places around Bellingham, in the trails and everything, sprinting down a hill in the summer and then being able to jump in the water afterwards. I feel very lucky to be physically able to do that.

Do you have a memory of your most satisfying races?

I would say one of my best finishes was at nationals last year. The environment of a big race like that is crazy. It's just so much noise the entire time you're running. So you don't really have the capability to have bad thoughts because all you can focus on is all the spectators and people cheering for you. But then just being with my teammates the entire time and me and another teammate, Mia, we kept passing each other and pushing each other back and forth the entire time. And then we both ended up having a really great race. So, the ones that I can really help a teammate out and then help me out are when I have the best races.

Do you plan to run for the rest of your life?

I don't know. I want to do some marathons. I did my first marathon last summer in Port Angeles. And I definitely want to go back to that one and try again. I just started to learn how to play tennis recently, so I've been loving tennis, so I'll probably explore more into that.

But I also want to say that my dad was also a great runner in high school, and I definitely look up to him as well. And he's always pushed me to run and pushed me to be the best, and he's probably my number one supporter. 

So shout out to my dad!