Steve Emt ’03 inspires others to be ‘their own hero’

“Adversity is an opportunity to succeed.” This and other inspirational quotes grace the website of Eastern alumnus Steve Emt ’03, an author, motivational speaker, and Paralympic athlete.

Emt knows all about adversity — a March 1995 car accident left him paralyzed below the waist. Today, Emt is a world-class wheelchair curling champion. When not competing on the national and international stage, he is a popular speaker on the national high school circuit.

Right now, Emt is focused on the 2026 Winter Paralympics, being held March 6-18, 2026, in Cortina, Italy, where he will be competing in the mixed-double curling competition with his partner Laura Dwyer. In the 2018 (South Korea) and 2022 (China) Paralympics, Emt competed in the traditional four-person team curling event, finishing fifth in 2022.

Following this year’s competition, Emt will be the most decorated Paralympic curler in U.S. history. Since taking up curling in 2013, he has won 10 national championships and competed in eight world championships, finishing fourth in 2021.

In Cortina this March, eight international teams will compete in a round-robin stage, followed by playoffs. Emt and Dwyer are two-time U.S. champions in the event.

“We have an incredible team,” said Emt. “We have lost only one game in two years. We expect a lot of each other.”

This year’s Paralympics mark the Games’ 50^th anniversary, and Emt looks forward to competing for the third time. While his first games in South Korea were a learning experience, his second Paralympics in Beijing, China, was more relaxed: “I took time to enjoy the fans, the environment. I would tell any competitor attending the games to make sure they have fun. It's all about having balance in your life.”

Emt’s athletic accomplishments on the specially prepared ice of a curling “sheet” should not be surprising. He was a star athlete at RHAM High School in Hebron, where he grew up. He was an All-New England soccer goalkeeper and All-State basketball player at RHAM and still holds the school record for career points on the basketball floor.

After graduating from high school in 1988, Emt enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy preparatory school in West Point, NY, before becoming a cadet in 1989.  He eventually moved back to Connecticut after his father passed away, and enrolled at the University of Connecticut, where he played basketball for the legendary coach Jim Calhoun. 

Perseverance and a new calling

Then came the fateful night in March 1995, when, after a night of drinking, Emt crashed his vehicle. He woke up in the hospital to find himself a paraplegic. He picked himself up and moved forward. A middle school counselor in Hebron asked Emt to tutor a young student, and by the summer of 1996, he got his teaching certificate and was teaching.

Seeking to complete his bachelor's degree, Emt enrolled at Eastern in 1998 and graduated in 2003 with a degree in psychology. “Eastern was a wonderful experience,” he said. “I had great professors. It was a perfect situation for me — I really appreciated the staff who provided accessibility services.”

For 20 years, Emt taught seventh-grade geometry at RHAM Middle School and also served as the high school's head basketball coach before turning his attention to another of his favorite endeavors — motivating young people. He has been speaking publicly for 29 years, but has picked up the pace since leaving RHAM in 2016.

In 2024–25 alone, he spoke at more than 100 high schools nationwide. Emt discusses his life experiences, offering a cautionary message about drunk driving and making good decisions.

Emt is also the author of the book “You D.E.C.I.D.E.,” an acronym standing for Determine, Educate, Create, Implement, Don’t ever give up, and Evaluate. The book encourages readers to become their own heroes by pursuing their dreams with passion.

Calhoun, Emt’s former UConn basketball coach, wrote of the book: “‘You D.E.C.I.D.E.’ is a firsthand account of how each of us can win the day. … [About] how all of us can overcome the difficulties of life and use them as motivations, not roadblocks.”

After the Paralympics, Emt will return to the speaker’s podium to deliver his uplifting message to thousands of young people. In the meantime, he is focused on bringing home the gold with his partner.

To contribute to Emt’s Paralympic journey, visit: https://www.ticketsignup.io/TicketEvent/WatchPartyandDonationsforLauraDwyerandSteveEmt/Donate