Emily Jacobson, raised by a family of fencers, reached the pinnacle of her career when she competed in the 2004 Olympics, which was the first time women were allowed to compete as sabre fencers. Jacobson was the daughter of David Jacobson, a sabre fencer for the 1974 US National Team, and Tina Jacobson, also a fencer. She trained with her sisters, Sada and Jackie, from childhood. She won a team gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 2001, bronze at the 2003 Pan American Games, and two gold medals at the World Junior Championships in 2004. While she did not win any medals at the landmark 2004 Olympic games, her sister Sada won the bronze medal that year. Emily Jacobson continued to compete as a student at Columbia, becoming 2005 NCAA Champion and finishing second in the 2006 NCAA Championships. She graduated from Columbia in 2008 with a degree in psychology and won the US Fencing Association’s Summer Championship in 2010.