NEDERLAND — Nederland High School senior Emma Bruney is a member or officer of nine clubs on campus, maintains a 4.0 GPA and wiggles in golf practice afterwards.

The 17-year-old’s list of classes, extracurricular activities and volunteer hours add up to more than can be done in a 24-hour time frame, but the Nederland native says it’s no problem for someone who likes to stay busy.

“I don’t like to sit around,” Bruney said. “I like having things to do and places to be.”

Bruney is a student council delegate, member of the NHS Art Club, member of the National Honor Society, captain of the Current Events and Issues UIL team and captain of the NHS varsity girls golf team.

However, her favorite clubs include those that involve volunteering, such as Key Club, Interact and Terrific Nederland Teens.

“I like being able to help others,” she said. “I feel like I am making a difference in somebody else’s life and TNT holds a special place in my heart. [TNT] is about drug and alcohol abuse awareness. We talk to middle school and elementary school kids and try to show them the right tract to be on. I like talking to the younger kids and helping them make the right decisions.”

Outside the classroom, Bruney is active on the golf course. She started playing in eighth grade alongside her brothers, stretching her talent to become the 2019 district golf champion.

“In high school I wanted to play something, but I didn’t know what, so I tried golf and loved it,” she said. “I like the rules and the challenge. I like that you have to think about it.”

Despite her love for the game, Bruney does not intend to pursue the sport in college, opting instead to focus on her career at Louisiana State University as a marketing and English major, a decision that came after helping her family transition their private club in Port Neches to become today’s public restaurant known as Benton’s.

“There was a lot of rebranding and marketing during that process,” she said. “I got to help with a lot of it and really enjoyed getting the name out there, making the logos and all that. With English, I love to read and write, so I want to continue with that as well.”

Bruney said alongside her mom, Catherine Bruney, one of her idols includes Nederland High School English teacher Diane Johnson, who played a major role in her decision to continue communications and writing as a career.

Johnson said Bruney is an amazing student and is excited to see where her future takes her.

“I came in halfway through the first semester last year, and Emma was one of the first ones who came up to introduce herself,” Johnson said. “She is one of those kids you love having in class because you know you will never have a problem and her assignments will be great.

“Her work is impeccable, and it doesn’t matter if she changes her major 10 times, she is going to be brilliant and successful at the same time.”