John Beisser, Feature Writer
This is a story about a highly driven Rutgers University scholar-athlete who is so accomplished and productive in her athletic, academic and community life, it's as if her day contains more than the same 24 hours that are available to the rest of us. When an individual also possesses uncommon intelligence combined with character traits overflowing with passion, compassion and empathy, we're talking about someone quite unique and special.
Meet
Emma Baeyens.
She is in the midst of her third academic year at Rutgers. For most college students that would obviously make her a junior, which is what she's listed as on the Scarlet Knight cross country and track and field rosters. But academically, similar to when she's competing in a race, Baeyens' got no time to waste. So, in addition to the AP college credits she entered RU with from her days at Watchung Hills High School, and the summer credits she's earned between semesters, academically she is a senior.
Yes, in addition to her time training and competing as a three-season Division I student-athlete (cross country/indoor/outdoor track), and spending significant hours performing community service, a subject we'll delve into shortly, Baeyens has overloaded her academic schedule and is on pace to graduate in just three years this May. Baeyens has done this while carrying a 3.7 GPA in cell biology and neuroscience with a minor in psychology. She has also earned dean's list honors every semester at RU, in addition to being a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
As a Scarlet Knight distance runner, Baeyens competes in the 4K, 5K, and 6K for the cross country team in the fall. When the weather turns cold, she runs the mile and 3,000-meter for indoor and competes for outdoor the 1,500-meter and the 5,000-meter.
According to Baeyens, her best performance came during her sophomore cross country season when she posted a career-best time of 21:56.7 in the 6K at Lehigh University's Paul Short Run on September 30, 2022.
"That was far and away my best time ever in that event and it came at my favorite race," Baeyens said. "The course is super fast and there are a lot of teams from all over so it's always a good race."
Now in the process of applying to graduate schools, with Rutgers high atop her list, Baeyens would one day love to be a clinical psychologist, a goal inspired by her time volunteering at
Saturdays In Motion (SIM). Established in 1992, SIM is the longest running non-public recreational program for children with autism in the United States. Autistic children, ages 3-17, and their families come together at Somerset Hills YMCA on Saturdays for two hours of recreation at no cost. Volunteers, such as Baeyens, lead the program, and carefully guide the children through an hour of gym time and a second hour in the pool.
Some 15 years ago, thanks in large part to its founder, Rutgers alumnus and attorney Arthur Raynes, a partnership was formed between SIM and Rutgers Athletics. Baeyens became connected to SIM at the suggestion from one of her teammate who encouraged her to attend.
"I was a little scared at first because there are some rules you have to follow," said Baeyens. "You are leading the children around for 45 minutes and there are a lot of safely procedures. It was a little nerve-wracking, but after the first time, I was like 'wow, this is really something that I enjoy.' So, I kept going back.
"I always wanted to pursue a career working with children. In my mind, I went from teacher to pediatrician. But I didn't want to go to med school as I hate blood," she added with a laugh. "It wasn't until my experiences at SIM that I decided on clinical psych, which is more geared toward working with children with intellectual disorders. That's where my passion now lies."
"Given all that Emma has on her plate with two unbelievably demanding majors, being a Division I athlete, even on days when her team's not here, she's showing up to help kids with disabilities," says Raynes. "How special is that?
The fourth of five children, Baeyens hails from a particularly high-achieving, running-oriented family. Both of her parents were born and met in their native Belgium where they were members of the same running team. An equally accomplished family academically, her parents both hold doctoral degrees. Her father, a scientist at Nokia Bell Labs in Murray Hill, earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering while her mom earned her Ph.D. in physics. All of Baeyens' siblings, who range in age from 17-25, either are, or were, long distance runners and all either hold post-college graduate degrees or have goals to earn them.
Her parents are fluent in English, French and Dutch and all five Baeyens children speak Dutch, in addition to English. It's clear that Baeyens also speaks another important, universal language – the language of love.
"There's this one young girl in our program, she's not verbal, but the parents come up to me, 'is Emma working today?'" Raynes said. "It's really something. Emma just has a way of connecting with the children which is not always easy."
Due to her special aptitude, certain things may come more easily to Baeyens than others but this is not to suggest that positive outcomes magically occur in her life. Rather, by all appearances, Emma just seems to work harder, care more deeply, and strive higher than most – making for one powerful combination.
"Whatever the "it" is, she has the "it," said Raynes.
John Beisser ('86) is an award-winning writer who served as an assistant director in the Rutgers University Athletic Communications Office from 1991-2006 where he primarily handled sports information/media relations duties for the Scarlet Knight football and men's basketball programs. In this role, he served as managing editor for nine publications that received national/regional citations from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). While an undergraduate at RU, Beisser was sports director of WRSU-FM and a sportswriter for The Daily Targum. He's also a former longtime assistant athletic director at Wagner College, where he was the recipient of the 2019 Met Basketball Writers Association "Good Guy" Award. Beisser resides in Piscataway with his wife Aileen (RC '95,) a four-year Scarlet Knight women's lacrosse letterwinner, and their 14-year old daughter Riley.
