Timberlake High School’s Emma Gustin has always cared for others

Caring for others comes naturally for Emma Gustin, a senior at Timberlake High School in Spirit Lake.

Gustin, 18, grew up with three brothers and, though she is the second-youngest, often finds herself taking on the role of the mother figure.

And as a student, Gustin is always quick to lend a helping hand.

“I care for everyone,” she said. “I find the light in everyone, no matter what they’ve been through. I personally have been through a lot, so I want everyone to feel like someone’s there for them, have that caring person, and be there for someone because everyone needs it. I always want to help people. I couldn’t even know you, and I’d see you struggling and be like, ‘Hey, do you need help with something?’ I just like to be outgoing and caring for other people.”

Gustin remembers being really excited to start high school. For one, she was once again in the same school as her best friend Taylor, who is a year older. And she was looking forward to eventually being in the same school as her brother, who is two years younger.

“To me, it felt like the next four years were going by really fast, and I always thought there should be a grade between junior and senior year as a freshman, because I thought ‘This is so fast.’ ”

Gustin certainly made the most of her four years at Timberlake. As a freshman, Gustin, a lifelong athlete, participated in basketball, volleyball and track. During sophomore year, she whittled the list down to basketball and volleyball. As a junior and senior, Gustin focused on basketball.

This year, Gustin and the rest of the girls’ basketball team won the Class 3A state tournament, a moment she recalls proudly.

She also found time to participate in Future Farmers of America, the school’s coffee stand and Business Professionals of America.

Gustin qualified for the state level of BPA and competed in the prepared public speaking category, another highlight of her high school experience.

As a senior, Gustin also took part in a new program at Timberlake called Sources of Strength, a suicide prevention program.

“It’s trying to encourage kids that are feeling suicidal, or feeling lonely, that there are things out there to help them,” she said. “That’s one of the things teachers chose kids to be part of, so I felt really proud to be chosen to be a part of it. It got cut short this year because of the virus. We didn’t get to do as much as we wanted to, but being able to talk about it, and get your feet a little wet to learn about it, was really awesome.”

Gustin was sad to hear the coronavirus meant her final weeks of senior year would take place online, but was grateful the school came up with ways to celebrate the students, like arranging to have the graduation ceremony at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds while adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

“If I knew this was going to happen, I would have had so much more fun last year, making the most of it,” she said. “But it’s a good lesson to make the most out of it while you have it.”

Online class hasn’t always been easy for Gustin, who jokingly said she is a good procrastinator, but she’s slowly but surely working through math, English and government, all while working two jobs. She works as a caregiver through A Compassionate In-Home Care and trains new Silverwood employees for the theme park’s food and beverage department.

Like many students, Gustin isn’t going to let social distancing stop her from celebrating when she’s completed her courses. She plans to have a graduation party with friends and family stopping by and, when it’s safer to travel, will have a second party in Boston to celebrate with more family.

After working all summer, Gustin will attend Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon, where she hopes to pursue special education like her mother, who passed away in 2013 when Gustin was in fifth grade.

“She’s really inspired me to follow in her footsteps, so I really want to go into that,” Gustin said.

Though it didn’t end exactly as she’d hoped, Gustin is satisfied with her high school experience. When asked for advice for current and incoming high school students, she repeats an earlier lesson.

“You never know when it’s going to be the last day that you’ll see someone, or the last time you’ll step foot in your school, so make the most out of it,” she said.