Emily Chang begins her time at The Academy in The Winter Lake Academy for the Arts Community Dance Program, understudying the role of Clara in "The Nutcracker." She is a member of the class of 2022.
She finally gets her chance to shine after Julie Andrews injures herself on a trampoline, but her role is threatened when her father's severance pay from his old job runs out and they can no longer pay the dues. When a sudden departure in the mathematics department leaves a vacancy, Mr. Chang is again employed and Emily gets to perform.
Emily eventually becomes disillusioned with dance and enrolls as a student in the Visual Art Department at The Academy. She identifies as pansexual and is briefly involved with Capri DeSisto-Stornello, much to her mother's chagrin (it's not that Mrs. Chang is homophobic, it's just that Capri's family is a real piece of work).