Emily Pauletti, a senior attackman on the University of Dallas women’s lacrosse team, came to UD, not only to follow in her sisters’ footsteps but also because of the promising Rome program and the strong Catholic community. Coming from Mesquite, Texas, Pauletti said that from a young age she always thought “I have to come to U Dallas,” which became a reality when she arrived freshman year.
Pauletti chose psychology as her major because of her strong desire to help others. She aspires to work in physical therapy or counseling and is interested in studying people and their mental behavior, which makes psychology a perfect fit. Apart from her hard work in the classroom, Pauletti is active in various clubs such as Crusaders for Life and Spanish club, as well as being a leader for the women’s lacrosse team.
Pauletti has played sports all her life. Coming into college, she had experience playing basketball, volleyball, track and softball—which speaks to her athletic ability as well as the dedication she gives to everything she does. When she came to UD, she tried lacrosse for the first time. Walking on as a freshman, she has never looked back. Pauletti has played some defense but thrives in the attack position: she describes it as “her happy place” and demonstrated that last year by leading the team in goals by a wide margin, as well as having the best shooting percentage on the team.
Her success has been consistent, as she won multiple awards including SCAC All-Sportsmanship (2019), SCAC Honorable Mention (2019), as well as Honor Roll (2020). Unfortunately, COVID-19 cut last season short, ending what would have been her best season yet. When speaking about the coronavirus and the sudden end to the season, Pauletti was disappointed but still optimistic, saying, “[It] put a damper on the season, but my team is strong.”
Despite last season’s setbacks, Pauletti is excited for this coming season, especially because she will be able to work with her new teammates and help them to be the best they can be.
Pauletti is set to graduate this spring and briefly reflected on the best parts of her UD experience. She said one of her favorite parts was her team:
“[One of the best parts was] meeting new teammates and having a family away from home.”
This speaks to the strong sense of community that Pauletti embodies at UD. In addition, the ability to have shared Core and major classes with some of her teammates throughout the years has created strong bonds and have made a huge impact on her. Her time at UD allowed her to develop physically, mentally and spiritually and this development and growth, as she reports, is “the most important thing of all.”
