Stephen Emt spoke to juniors and seniors about the extreme dangers of drinking and driving at an assembly at South Windsor High School on April, 7th. Emt bravely shared his personal experience with the crowd, showing living proof of what could happen if one chooses to drive under the influence.
Emt is part of Choices Matter, an organization meant to educate students with personal stories surrounding tragedies involving decisions we make in life.
Emt attended RHAM High School, located in Hebron, Connecticut as a teenager, and had an admirable and successful high school sports career. Emt was an All American athlete in both soccer and basketball. He went on to play basketball at West Point as a cadet, and eventually was a walk-on at UCONN for Coach Calhoun.
Then, in 1995, at age 25, everything changed. Emt went to a bar late one night with some of his friends. After having one too many drinks, he decided to drive home. His alcohol blood content was .12, and he was driving almost 100 miles per hour down I-84.
The crash sent his car down the highway, tumbling about 75 yards down the side of the road. All because he made the decision to drink and drive.
The recovery was hard for Emt. After his crash, he had to accept what happened to him, but that wasn’t easy. Constantly upset and angry at the world for what happened to him, he worked hard to change his mindset and overcome this setback. He was left paralyzed and would never be able to walk again.
After the accident, Emt believed he had seen his father, and that he spoke to him.
“You know what Steve, you screwed up. You made a terrible decision to drink and drive,” Emt told the crowd. “We’re not ready for you yet. Your time is not up; get back down there and do something with this.”
After the crash, Emt began to turn his life around. Over the following years, he dedicated himself to mentoring and educating young people. He spent two decades coaching high school boys’ basketball. As his story spread, schools across Connecticut started inviting him to speak about his experiences and the lessons he had learned.
Currently, Emt is traveling around Connecticut and Maine sharing his story about his mistake in hopes to teach teenagers to not make those same mistakes, because choices matter.
“I love what I do. It’s not a job, it’s a passion,” Emt said. “You can’t learn this stuff in the books, you need people like me to get out there and do this.”
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Students had the chance to talk to Emt and ask him questions.
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Senior and Junior students waiting for Emt to begin his presentation.
Emt turned his accident into a source of purpose and motivation. He now competes in wheelchair curling for Team USA and has represented the country in the Paralympics. On the U.S. team, Emt has had a “fourth-place finish in 2021 (Beijing). He also competed in 2015 (fifth, Lohja, Finland), 2016 (sixth, Lucerne, Switzerland), 2017 (seventh, Gangneung, South Korea), and 2019 (11th, Stirling, Great Britain)” (teamusa.com). He’s also the author of You D.E.C.I.D.E., a book that explores how to face challenges and rise above them.
His story is so important to hear, especially at this time where many kids are getting their license. Emt is living proof of what can happen. He was on top of the world until one moment changed the outcome of his life. Emt is truly an inspiration. He used a devastating moment in his life into a learning opportunity for kids all over the nation to hear.
