Emma Gaston's day-to-day life usually consists of cross country practice, school and being a part of a lot of organizations at UIndy.
This makes for busy weeks, days, hours and even minutes in her daily routine.
But on Thursdays, she finds time to do something outside of school related activities which provides help to others in her community.
She volunteers at Joy's House on UIndy's campus. A non-profit organization which focuses on serving adults and providing care to those who live with life-altering diagnoses.
Most of the people Gaston works with are people with memory loss disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
Her daily responsibilities at Joy's House are often fairly simple.
"I go over there and hang out with them and talk to them, but they don't remember who I am when I am there," Gaston explained.
The importance of Joy's House stems far outside of the daily simple tasks she does with people.
It teaches her life skills that can't be taught in a classroom or during a race.
"One of the things it teaches me the most is to live only in the moment. They don't remember what happened in the past, and they don't know what's going to happen in the future," Gaston said. "It's a reset every time I go there because this is how I should be thinking in life instead of worrying about everything else.
No matter what bad thing happens, doesn't happen or might happen, she understands the importance of staying in the moment and enjoying every little thing as it comes.
Gaston is applying these life lessons into her everyday life, while also continuing to learn and grow from others, to help better those who are a part of her life's goals and dreams.
"Life is chaotic. We're not supposed to be perfect. Don't get down on yourself. Just keep moving forward because that's all you can do," Gaston said.
Gaston's love for running started when she was in the fifth grade in her hometown of Monrovia, IN.
Her parents were both athletes at UIndy, her mom a runner, her dad a thrower, who raised her to love running from a young age.
"They've both been extremely supportive and pushed me to be my best." Gaston explained. "My mom always pushed me to be my absolute best because she knows that I can accomplish all of my dreams."
Gaston continued running throughout middle and high school, but she didn't know if she wanted to run in college, so she reached out to UIndy's current track and field head coach, Brad Robinson, for some insight.
"I was unsure if I wanted to run in college because high school had been a bit challenging," Gaston said. "But then I reached out to Brad, and then came to the school, joined the team and I've loved every second of it."
And she hasn't looked back since.
Outside of being a successful three-year distance runner at UIndy, placing fourth in the 118th Annual Indiana Little State Championship, she's been involved in many other things including; being the Student Athlete Advisory Committee president, is on multiple UIndy student committees, is a lab assistant in organic chemistry, a double major in biology and chemistry, a pre-med and honors student, and also worked on fundraising at a summer camp that helped kids with cerebral palsy.
"Before I know it I stretched myself a little thin, which is a good thing," Gaston said. "But I also have high dreams and goals in life, and there's a fine line, and I don't want to overstep the line and possibly sacrifice my body for running."
But Gaston found a little place on UIndy's campus, Joy's House, as a place to reset her mind every week amongst her busy schedule.
Nyc Sigmon, a former graduate assistant for the UIndy track and field team, offered her a role to take on some of Joy's House's event planning that could help other non-profit organizations.
So Gaston found time, a one hour block during the week to volunteer to help.
And in her time there, she's found ways to help those who suffer from memory disorders, and also connect and learn from them in the process about how they go about their daily lives.
"They don't remember the stuff that happened a week ago. It doesn't matter. What do they remember though? They remember their family, their kids, what things brought them happiness," Gaston explained. "And the things that brought them happiness aren't the medals or trophies, but those they surrounded themselves with."
A life lesson which is invaluable to most, including Gaston herself, who has been able to grow accustomed to her fast-paced life because of those from Joy's House.
"It's a great environment, that can easily be something that's very sad, but the people that work there have made an environment which is only uplifting," Gaston said.
After finishing her undergraduate degree at UIndy, Gaston is looking to work in Palliative Care, which is care that improves quality of life and provides relief to those who suffer from serious illnesses.
While yes this seems like a grueling career path, Gaston doesn't look at it from that perspective.
"I think there is so much to learn from people who are in their final stage of life," Gaston explained. "I think they'll pass experiences on to me because every person's different and the end of life for every person isn't a textbook."
"I doubt there's ever been someone on their deathbed who worries about materialistic accomplishments, but more so the things that they've loved," Gaston continued.
Listening and learning from those around her is how Gaston has gotten to where she is today.
And she is not done, she'll continue to learn and pass knowledge off to those around her because that is who she is.
"Communication is such an important part of life. It's not difficult, but somehow we all still struggle with it. It's so important to communicate and be there for your friends, teammates and classmates," Gaston said. "Being a listening voice more than a talking one is such an integral part of life, and that's how I live every day."
