Commitment Announcement
Fall Signing Week '15: Blue Chip Emma Higuchi is a Cardinal
by
Ali Jones, 11 November 2015
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Recruiting interest was high on Emma Higuchi, whose résumé includes titles at the Easter Bowl and National Clay Courts, silver and bronze USTA balls, and World Juniors participant.
"The college search was a long process, but from the beginning I knew I didn't want to commit early," said the California Blue Chip. "I took my time since I didn't really know where I wanted to go. The only thing that was sure of was that I wanted a balance of both academics and tennis."
She visited UCLA first in January, and later she went to Stanford, Duke and Harvard. She also spoke with the coaches at TCU and Pepperdine.
Finally, she decided on Stanford, a five-hour drive north from her home in Los Angeles. The university was perfect for her, as is everything about Palo Alto.
"I fell in love with the campus," she said. "I visited again and every single time I fell in love with it even more - the atmosphere, the girls, the coaches. I knew the girls by name but did not really know them, and they were all friendly."
She was offered a spot on the team early in the year, but it was not until late October that the Admission Office approved her application after having reviewed her test scores and grades.
"I was still in Japan when [Associate Head] Coach Frankie [Brennan] called to say that I was official," the champion said. "I couldn't believe it. The timing was nice too, since I was able to share the news with my family there. They were so happy because it's such a great school."
Higuchi, who speaks and writes fluent Japanese and English, spends her summers in Japan immersed in her parents' native culture, going to Japanese school and visiting both sets of grandparents.
