Springstead senior wins national honor

Springstead High School senior Emily Gustafson wasn't looking to represent Hernando County for a prestigious national program.

Had her mother been quicker to throw away what she thought was junk mail, she definitely wouldn't be.

But by a twist of luck or fate, a letter from the U.S. Department Of Education made it through the parental censors, and it names Gustafson one of 3,000 students nationwide in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program — one of the highest honors that graduating seniors can receive.

She's one of roughly 20 students throughout Florida chosen for the award — from among nearly 3.2 million students nationwide who will graduate from high school this year — based on her score on the ACT, 35 out of a possible 36.

Gustafson said she must now submit an essay along with other documentation to earn a trip to the White House.

"I think this is really awesome, not just for me, but for Hernando County," she said. "I didn't think I would do that well on the ACT, so when the scores came in, I was really excited. But I didn't know I would qualify for this. I'm ecstatic something like this could happen."

Gustafson is an athlete who competes in swimming. along with being a member of Superintendent Bryan Blavatt's student advisory committee representing Springstead High. She is also a member and co-founder of a gifted mentorship group and the school's math honor society, Mu Alpha Theta.

Blavatt said he's proud of Gustafson and added that she's one of the finest students he's dealt with in his more than 40 years of public education. If anyone can and should represent Hernando County, he said, it's Gustafson.

I think it's a real tribute to her, her family and teachers that she is being considered. It's very unusual with all the high-powered private and big-named schools around the state," Blavatt said.

"She's a very bright, very perceptive young lady and truly is dedicated to her academic pursuits."

Gustafson was accepted to Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where she plans to study mathematics.

"I expect I'll change my major quite a few times," she said with a laugh.