A True Yinzer

“It’s a Pittsburgh thing. My family, we call ourselves the Yinzers. We get together and watch the Steelers games.” An answer prompted by three people, including Mr. Vollmer, simultaneously asking “What’s a Yinzer?,” while Emily shared with the class a few of her beliefs. From Emily’s input in class discussions I got the impression that she was an intelligent woman with a good outlook on life. Curious about her family’s passion for the Pittsburgh Stealers and her time spent at JMU, I found that her passions for life and interacting with people are the driving forces motivating her to become a successful business woman in the near future.
When I first met Emily Trexler I instantly knew she was a cool person who could make any situation fun; she just gave off that vibe. Her mother, Carla Trexler, described a few of Emily’s strengths as having a natural ability to make people around her comfortable and having great confidence in herself. Emily has the kind of bright, bubbly personality that lights up any room she enters and draws people to her. Kind of like a bug zapper, but instead of getting zapped once too close, a strong bond is formed, like the bond between Emily and her best friend Hilary Bray who said, “Emily is very outgoing and friendly to everyone.” In our first interview she described herself as the color yellow when asked what color could best match her bubbly personality. It was not a surprise to find out that Mrs. Trexler chose to describe Emily as the color yellow as well.
Having been born and raised in the same house, in Chantilly, Virginia, allowed Emily to grow up with a kind of stability that some never have. Emily and her sister were raised in a loving household that instilled in them many values. Today she can easily say that she values, family, honesty, sincerity, friends, and love. While Webster’s does not yet have a definition for a “Yinzer,” there is no official definition used by the Trexler family either, but both Emily and Mrs. Trexler describe a “Yinzer,” as a group of people who grew up using the term “Yinz” instead of saying “ya’ll” who just so happen to be a family of passionate Pittsburgh Stealers fans that get together to watch the games. When I asked Emily if the "Yinzers" still get together she said, “Yes they do! I was at home this weekend and I stayed for the game so I could be there with them!” From listening to Emily describe all that the “Yinzers” do I could tell this unique family tradition is very dear to her and it has played a role in helping her put things in perspective, that things aren’t always as bad as they may seem.
“It’s cool to be able to say “I went to Westfield High School,” and have people recognize it.” Westfield will always have a special place in her heart because of all the memories made and the good times shared. Emily recalled enjoying playing varsity softball while at Westfield. The things from high school she admits to missing most are knowing a lot of people and being with friends every day. I thought she would say having a car at her disposal but wait she has that now, lucky. Another reason why Westfield is special to her, besides it being her alma mater, she met her boyfriend, a Mr. Brett Kourey, in the tenth grade.

Back then they were simply friends; who had not given a second thought to becoming anything more than that. Then junior year came along; all that went out the door as their friendship became stronger. This coming November Brett and Emily will have been together
for three years. Living by the motto, “Life’s too short to be anything but happy,” has surely helped keep this sarcastic couple together; with their bond becoming stronger as the days go on.
Emily’s greatest accomplishment so far has been getting into Virginia Tech. Mrs. Trexler also stated that she is most proud of Emily for getting into Tech, because she decided what she needed to do and she did it, despite some negative feedback from an admissions officer. After being waitlisted from Tech, Emily attended James Madison University until her senior year. When questioned with what prompted her to transfer she said, “JMU just did not feel right.” As a true “Yinzer” she loves the game of football, “I grew up with it [football] and Tech has a BIG football program,” and Tech is the perfect fit. Emily is currently studying marketing, with the goal of working for a sports organization after graduation. The combination of her natural people skills and her passion for sports, especially for the game of football, will ensure along with her determination that she will have a very successful career. She became an active member of, the business fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon as a way to get involved and make friends on campus. Emily describes PSE as, “It’s basically a way of doing business things and having fun. There’s definitely a social aspect to it.. and I really like the people.” PSE is currently selling Ryan Williams for Hiesman T-shirts which look really cool, please contact Emily if you would like one.
The Hokie lifestyle of service, hard work, and hard play has already been engrained within her for some time through hanging out with Brett and her older sister, who recently graduated from Tech, while she was at JMU. This bright and bubbly Hokie is sure to be a noteworthy alumnus in the near future; and as long as you don’t constantly leave your turn signal on while driving, Emily would be glad to get to know you.