Bobcat Academic Story: Emma Tarbath

Every sport at Montana State is filled with exceptional student-athletes. Students who pride themselves on representing MSU both academically and athletically. Excelling in academics and athletics requires students to effectively manage their time in order to successfully accomplish their goals.

Nordic skier Emma Tarbath has made the most of her time.

Last year, Tarbath was recognized by the USCSCA as an All-Academic honoree and was a First Team All-American as she took fifth place in the 15K freestyle event at the 2018 NCAA Skiing Championships. Her success can be partly contributed to her work ethic. Tarbath's work ethic comes from the environment she grew up in as a native of Anchorage, Alaska, and from her competitive nature.

"I definitely contribute part of (my work ethic) to my parents (Linda & J.P. Tarbath)," said Emma. "They always encourage me to really get after what I'm doing and do what I want. I think the other part of it is, I like to push myself and see what I can do. That really applies both in the classroom and on the trails. Both places are a really great opportunity to push myself and I like that."

Upon graduation from Service High School, Tarbath knew she wanted to ski at the collegiate level, while studying business. Her mom has a career in accounting and the family looked at MSU's Jake Jabs School of Business. They knew the Bobcat nordic skiing program and business school were great opportunities.

Majoring in business management, Tarbath hopes to use the skills she gains at MSU to propel her to a career in the food-waste industry.

"I want to study business because I think it's a really solid way to get into my next career path," said Tarbath. "After college I would like to go work in food waste, lessening food waste and working for better food distribution. I think this (major) is a really good starting point and will give me a solid base to get into the next level of what I want to do."

What Tarbath wants to do next is keep her options open. She expressed a desire to look into business internships to get a foot in the door of the corporate world, but most importantly stressed putting herself in a position where she can take advantage of the opportunities that open up to her.

Tarbath is one of the many student-athletes who excel in the academic world as much as they do the athletic world. Tarbath does not want her leadership to be marginalized to the mountain, and instead, chooses to show her leadership in all walks of life.

"In the classroom, I hope when I go in there I'm at least making the class a better place for other people to be in. When I'm out skiing, I definitely want to be known as someone who's a leader in the classroom and on the trails. I hope I can represent MSU to be the best of my abilities everywhere I go."

Tarbath and the Montana State nordic ski team begin their portion of the MSU Invitational at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center on Friday at 9 a.m. with the 5/10K Freestyle race, followed on Saturday with the 15/20K Classical race.

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Players Mentioned

Emma Tarbath

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