By Ryan Makuch
When Emily Eitzman and I walked to the seating area behind the UMMA (University of Michigan Museum of Art) we were stopped repeatedly by squirrels blocking our path, and even a small child running up to Eitzman, seeming to sense the good energy coming from her.
Even playing back the recording of our conversation, birds are chirping in the background, we both lose our train of thought as squirrels approach, trying to find some easy food. For one of the first times, even in spite of this conversation happening in the summer, prior to the full return of the University of Michigan’s student body which turns Ann Arbor into a city much, much, bigger than it already is, the atmosphere of the city, and the campus area, seemed to be back in full bloom.
Eitzman noted her happiness to be on campus and back in the “real” world. Eitzman started and finished both of her underclassman years in the world of COVID, with classes being taken entirely online for her freshman year, and mostly online for her sophomore campaign. “It’s funny,” she would say, “once I was a sophomore, I kept thinking – like when someone asked me what year I was – I kept saying I’m a freshman, because there year before didn’t feel like college, just ‘school’.”
She noted how much easier it was to be on campus, in person, with all of classes going. “Just being on campus, coming to the Diag, things like that, it’s been a different experience,” she would say in discussing how, while she made some friends in the virtual setting as a freshman, it all got much easier being in-person and in the flesh.
Eitzman’s coursework and her responsibilities in her labs on campus emphasize her well-roundness and showcase her abilities and interests as both a student and a person. A Nueroscience major and with a minor in Writing, Eitzman also works on research projects pertaining to Rapamycin and vascular aging at the Cardiovascular Center and in the Life Sciences Institute, studying on the bodily process of autophagy, specifically specifically the ATG23 protein in the body, as well as studying phosphorylation and post-translation modifications, both through the University of Michigan.
Eitzman is a master of balancing on a tightrope in regards to her activities on and off the field. Eitzman, of course, was a member of the USL W League roster this season, making a pair of appearances for the club in the league in 2022. She also is a part of the University of Michigan Women’s Club Soccer team, taking part in that to keep sharp on the ball while attending school.
Off-the-pitch, though, Eitzman shines as a beacon of the community that she continues to assist in Washtenaw County. Eitzman’s off-field work, excluding school and research obligations, includes remaining an active board member with The Mighty Oak Project, attending CLR Academy sessions, taking part in the optiMIze social innovation challenge, using CLR Academy as the organization that she pitched for the challenge and setting up to work on that fellowship this summer, writing her own children’s book, a lifelong dream of hers, and beginning work with Detroit Vitals, a free telehealth clinic for citizens of Detroit currently in the planning phase of opening operations.
Additionally, just this past month, Eitzman made a trip down to Houston to spend time with Lonestar, an amputee soccer team based in Texas, while she also shadowed at an Orthotist and Prostheist clinic during her time in Houston. “This was my first time training with the players and watching an amputee soccer match in-person, and the players are just incredible athletes and people. I’m really looking forward to doing more with them down the road, and I look forward to watching the USA team in the World Cup this fall.”
“I have so many different passions,” Eitzman says. “But at the same time, it’s also a big variety, so I kind of like it if one thing is getting stressful, I have so many other outlets, so that’s been nice.”
In discussing where this variety of interests comes from Eitzman says, “I guess in the back of my head, with everything I do, I want to make an impact and give back to others. For most things, I feel like you are doing that. So for writing, I think about what I’m writing, my words giving back to people and having an impact.” Eitzman is looking ahead to becoming a doctor, hence the impressive work she assists in helping with in her research labs.
Eitzman has consistently been a hard worker and actively involved in many different fields of interest. This has been long established, and dates back to her youth, she notes, and indeed, the first time I spoke with Eitzman, now years back, she noted similar things in the taped portion of the conversation we had back during the 2019 season.
I posed the question if 2019 feels that long ago, sharing a laugh over the idea that that was the ‘most recent’ season. “It does feel like a long time ago,” she would say. “It’s so funny to think about how I was a junior in high school and now I’m entering my junior year of college, and how there’s only been two seasons.”
In talking about how the time during the pandemic affected her line of thinking, she said, “I think it’s really opened my eyes more to what I really cared about, because when I had extra time, what did I do with that.” She would continue: “I got a little bit more in touch with myself in terms of just having more time to be with myself and see what I enjoy doing most. In general, coming to college for the first time, I’ve met so many people and I’ve been introduced to so many new things.”
Her desire to be an active participant in everything she does, while simultaneously keeping her plate full with activities to get involved in and organziations to aid, led to a bit of adjusting and time reallocation. Noting how she’s “grown a lot” in that regard, noting how important it is to keep her energy and motivation high, she emphasized her love of volunteering. “Every time I do that it reminds me of how many different lives there are,” she would share. “People going through all these different experiences and stuff, and it also reminds me of how much I love to give back and contribute.”
Eitzman has always had a desire to help the community, and notes how the AFCAA community values were one of the first reasons as to why she fell in love with the club. She noted that her time with The Mighty Oak was her first team where, “As much time as I am on the field, I’m doing work with them off the field.”
“I’m just so happy I found AFCAA because, beyond being a great soccer team, it’s given me so much,” Eitzman said. “I’ve always known I like giving back, but I’ve never had so many opportunities to do that, and now that I have, it’s just become such a big part of my life.”
Eitzman is a model member of the community. She is intent on listening and engaging with people through hyper-personal means. Her compassion and desire to help others combined with her intelligence and her understanding of important social divisions makes it no wonder that she is front and center in many of The Mighty Oak’s community efforts.
Eitzman is still just a junior in college, yet the composure and poise she has is that of someone many years her senior. Her journey on and off the pitch truly reflects what AFC Ann Arbor, as a club, aspires to be for its community.
About AFC Ann Arbor
Association Football Club Ann Arbor (AFC Ann Arbor) was founded in 2014 and competes in USL2 (men’s) and USLW (women’s) national amateur leagues. We are a community-based club, focused on equity, justice, and anti-racism. We consider all of our stakeholders, including supporters, players, staff, and ownership to be part of the #AFCAAFamily. Come On You Mighty Oak!
