Dr. Emily Foster Howell was Habersham Central’s 1996 valedictorian, 2001 Miss Georgia, owns and operates a nationally-acclaimed orthodontics office, heads a Jackson county community service program, and can now add the 2021 Habersham Central High School Lifetime Achievement award to her resume. But this award represents more to Dr. Howell than a recognition of her achievements; it reminds her of the community that built her.
“It really means a great deal to me, because I respect and love so many from Habersham who have helped bring me to this point,” Dr. Howell tells Now Habersham. “That’s where my career really started because that’s where I was born and raised, and had a lot of support from my family, my teachers, my friends, my community leaders, even the orthodontist right there in Habersham was a huge influence in my life.”
As a business owner, orthodontist and mother, Dr. Howell spends much of her time in and out of the office inspiring others. Her community in Habersham encouraged her to reach her potential when she was young, and now she does the same, hosting students at her business to help them learn about orthodontics and taking leadership roles at her church to build community.
“A lot of times we don’t realize our own potential until somebody speaks it into us,” Dr. Howell says. “And that is priceless and really life-changing. And the neat thing is, it may sound cliche, but I really am able to pass it along. So now, it’s so fun for me to have students in my office that I’m hopefully inspiring to do what they love.”
Dr. Howell has pioneered a program at Howell Orthodontics to exchange hours of community service for credit towards braces. Not only does this program, called “Serve, Save, Smile,” make braces more accessible to her patients, but it helps her patients give back to their community– something Habersham taught her the value of.
“I saw a lot of community service and outreach through my community in Habersham and my church in Habersham,” Dr. Howell says. “And so now to be able to use my extra time– what little I have– and talent to really give back to the community here in Jackson county is great because it just makes me feel good to realize that may have an impact on somebody else, even if it’s just one [person].”
After Habersham Central presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Howell, she addressed the HCHS class of 2021 at their graduation later that night. Her words of encouragement and wisdom to the class reminded them to invest in themselves, support others and work hard for the future they want to see.
“There’s no way to put enough thank-yous out there for the people of Habersham county,” Dr. Howell says. “Not only for supporting me back then, but even continuing to support me now, and allowing me this award and to come back and speak at graduation. That was so special to me to get to come back to my alma mater and represent our school and to try to inspire the class of 2021. That was really special.”
