Lakeside (Plummer-Worley) senior Emma Daniels aimed for academic excellence early

Lakeside senior Emma Daniels stands out among her peers as someone who has overcome hardship, and thrived academically while distinguishing herself as a leader.

Located on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation, Lakeside High School in Plummer, Idaho, has an enrollment of approximately 100 students with a graduation rate around 50%. The Knights struggle to retain students. But Daniels, who is half Native American and half Caucasian, has found purpose in academics.

“I think it was me just trying to prove myself because I come from a very poor background,” Daniels said. “We haven’t always had much, and I figured if our social standing wasn’t going to be good, then my academic standing is going to be the best.”

She has never had the same home longer than three years and has had to navigate a turbulent family life. Despite or because, she’s a straight-A student, often tackling coursework above her grade level.

Daniels grew up in Plummer and has been in the Lakeside School District since seventh grade, after attending Coeur d’Alene Tribal School.

She is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, based in Oregon and comprised of the Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute tribes.

Her father is half Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and half Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Her family belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where Daniels has been involved with the youth group since age 12.

As one of two valedictorians from Lakeside, Daniels will be attending Portland State University under the direction of Upward Bound Coordinator Cheryl Copeland, who has worked with Daniels for a year and a half.

”She’s a fabulous student,” Copeland said. “She works super hard. She has really impressed me. You don’t always run across someone who’s that dedicated to doing well in school.”

Copeland was the guiding force behind Daniels’ push toward college. Daniels’ goal is to become the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“She’s the whole reason I’m going to college,” Daniels said. “She attacks me about my deadlines, and about scholarships that I need to turn in. And just even when I’m completely ignoring her, she still harasses me, and it’s great.”

Upward Bound is a federal program aimed at providing free college preparatory services to students and families.

“The school districts that we work with allow us to go in, meet with students in a safe environment and help them to accomplish their goals of going to college, and hopefully changing their lives,” Copeland said.

Daniels was a ideal fit for the program, because for years she pursued activities that would make her an competitive applicant.

She served on Lakeside’s student council all four years and is currently the president. For three years, she has been a National Honor Society member. She volunteers for Sources of Strength, a national organization aimed at preventing suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse.

If PSU’s campus is open in the fall, Daniels will move to Portland. But the move from Plummer – with a population of around 1,000 – to a city of more than 650,000 – will be a culture shock. She feels prepared, but her parents worry.

“They’ve cried a lot,” she said. “I’m fine with it. I’m eager to get out of Plummer. I’ve lived here my whole life, and that’s been boring. My dad’s pretty scared. He’s always talking to me about how I’m going to get from building to building at night. And then my mom’s just scared about how the household is going to be without me there, because I have been kind of a mediator between everybody.”