Competitive 10-year-old wants to score as big at TCC as she does on the ice.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Most 10-year-olds worry about homework and recess. Emma Howard juggles hockey and college. She just finished her first semester at Tarrant County College Northeast — before most children her age have reached middle school.
Competing on the ice is nothing new to Emma, who started skating at age 5, “podiuming” in many competitions throughout Texas and the Midwest. She qualified to compete at the US Figure Skating’s Excel National Festival and Finals in Boston, MA, in 2024 – finishing 2nd out of 10 skaters.
She traded her figure skates for hockey skates in September 2025.
Her mother seems pretty amazed by this precocious, animated little girl. Hockey takes explosive strength, speed and tactics in an unpredictable environment.
Emma says bring it on.
“She absolutely thrives at that aspect of the game!” Jacqueline Howard says. “It’s been fun to watch her bring that competitive drive from her figure skating days and apply it to such a fast, physical team sport.”
Emma’s favorite thing about playing hockey? “Scoring goals!” she replies.
Jacqueline has served as a USA Hockey official for almost 20 years and also worked as a hockey programs manager for the Dallas Stars. Perhaps she inspired Emma and her hero big brother, Matthew, who also played hockey at age 10 and attended TCC Northeast. (Asked who inspires her most, Emma is quick with an answer: “My brother.”)
In turn, Matthew, who has been playing hockey since age 6, admires his little sister. “I’m really happy for her and proud of how far she’s come and how quickly she’s picked up her hockey skills,” he says.
Certainly, Jacqueline and her husband, John, offered encouragement in academics as well as athletics. Matthew now studies aerospace engineering at UT Arlington. Emma has her sights set on UTA, too, as a biology major. (She wants to be a pediatrician someday, so she can take care of kids and their health.)
Both children have been homeschooled by Jacqueline since age 3.
Jacqueline said Emma showed signs early that she needed greater academic challenges. She absorbed information easily, loved reading and advanced rapidly through math.
Her parents try not to limit her curiosity. They say they emphasize work ethic over perfection.
“If she shows interest in a topic, we give her resources like books, podcasts and documentaries and let her set the pace,” her mom says. “For us, early college has never been about rushing childhood. It’s about meeting a child where they are academically. When they’re ready for more of a challenge, it makes sense to explore options that keep them engaged and growing.”
The Howards favored TCC for Emma for reasons both academic and logistical. They live close to the Hurst campus, and Matthew’s positive experience there gave them confidence.
TCC Northeast. Emma. Good fit.
“We talked and prayed with her about it. She was excited and genuinely curious, which told us she was emotionally ready,” Jacqueline said. “Once we knew she could handle the workload while having a balanced, kid-centered life, the decision felt natural.”
The adults in the room help Emma enjoy being a child and studying. Making time for family, friends, sports and play is nonnegotiable.
She just finished her inaugural TCC semester. She was nervous at first. It didn’t last long.
“Then I felt like I fit right in!” But of course, difficulties arise. Emma’s response: “I keep working.”
Her favorite class that first term was history, taught by her immediately favorite instructor, Adam Guerrero. The admiration sounds mutual.
“Emma is such a delight to have in class. The human species is naturally curious and inquisitive. This can be found even more so in the minds of children. Emma embodies what we as educators hope to cultivate.”
Learning he would have a 10-year-old on his roll intrigued Guerrero. He looked forward to it. Emma did not disappoint.
“She took to the course like a natural,” he said. “It has been easy for me as the instructor and the other students to forget her age because of how well she interacted in the course.”
Guerrero’s eight-week courses emphasize discussion that often prompts vigorous interactions. Debates, even. He said Emma jumped in and held her own with her much older classmates.
She was dedicated to her studies, Guerrero said. Maybe it starts with a loving family and a fearless nature and healthy at-any-age ambition.
Emma has advice for other children who likewise would dream big.
“You can do it if you set your mind to it.”
Not bad counsel from a 10-year-old college student.
Tarrant County College serves nearly 100,000 students each year, offering accessible, affordable pathways to in-demand careers and university transfer. Across multiple campuses and TCC Connect — a fully online learning option — the College partners with more than 1,200 employers to help build the workforce that drives North Texas forward. Bold Steps. Better Futures.