Emily Tershalla turns her love for basketball into the courage to create her own path
There is something beautiful about watching a dream become bigger without losing the feeling that started it. For Emily Tershalla, basketball has travelled with her from the courts of Albania to college basketball in the United States, through national championships, European youth tournaments, difficult moments, friendships and opportunities she once could only imagine. At 19, she already carries experiences from different basketball worlds with her, yet the enthusiasm underneath them still resembles that of the girl who simply saw her friends playing a sport and wanted to join them. She has grown into an Albanian international and a college basketball player who is preparing for her second season in the US. She will play for Meridian Community College. Her journey has required talent, work and courage, although perhaps its most compelling quality is the way Emily continues to find inspiration everywhere she goes. She looks at players ahead of her and wants to learn. She looks at younger Albanian girls and understands the challenges they face. She can even look back at the seasons in which things did not go her way and recognize how much they gave her. Photo: FIBA Basketball
