Houston Texans cheerleader also solves crimes as forensic scientist
HOUSTON, Texas -- On weekdays, you can find Emily in her white lab coat carefully analyzing DNA at the Texas Department of Public Safety's crime lab. On Sundays though, you can find her on the football field.
"I got my bachelor's degree in molecular biology, and I just recently graduated in 2020 with my master's degree," the Colorado native said.
For the past four years, Emily's work in biology and DNA as a forensic scientist has been key in helping unlock important answers in criminal investigations.
WATCH: Raleigh 6-year-old honors Black women for Women's History Month through Instagram photos
"I grew up very interested in forensics, solving crimes and puzzles and those types of things," Emily said. "I started watching the crime shows on TV that everybody loves."
But that's not her only passion. She has danced since she was a child and has an extensive background, which helped her land a spot on the Houston Texans cheer team for the past three seasons.
She gives a lot of credit to her mother's encouragement and admits many people are surprised to learn she is both a scientist and a cheerleader.
"Yes, they're very surprised," she said. "Actually, people here don't know I was going to try out because I kept it to myself and didn't know what was going to happen."
During the football season, her schedule can get pretty hectic with her DPS job, Texans cheer practices and games all happening throughout the week.
WATCH: Durham transgender woman says Women's History Month should include all women
Emily said she juggles it all by staying very organized and packing all of her practice gear ahead of time, and even getting reminders from teammates who know her demanding schedule.
"With both of the jobs, I have to be detail oriented," she said. "My work at the lab has to be near perfect, everybody makes mistakes, and on the field we have to be near perfect with our routines, dancing as one."
