He didn't miss that moment

COEUR d'ALENE — It's not every day that we have the opportunity to give someone the clothes off our backs.

Recently, 17-year-old Justin Sego had that opportunity.

And he didn't hesitate a bit.

"It’s the right thing to do," Justin said Friday afternoon. "It’s how I was raised."

A few weekends ago, Justin was just getting off of work at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Coeur d'Alene when he saw a homeless man approaching the closed store. The man was barefoot.

"We were already locked up and everybody was out," Justin said. "He was about to walk away and I got out and asked him if he wanted some shoes and he said, 'Yeah, sure!'"

Justin proceeded to remove his own shoes and give them to the homeless man, whose feet were about Justin's size.

"They were just my work shoes," the humble teen said. "I have plenty of shoes at my house."

The man also asked Justin for a ride to the St. Vincent Community Dining Hall, and again he didn't hesitate to help. He just had to wait for his coworker, Bob Frisk, who carpooled with him that day.

Frisk said Justin's act of kindness went way above and beyond the call of duty.

"People say how selfish today's teenagers are, that they really don’t care about anybody but themselves," Frisk said. "I’d like to say Justin is a perfect example of how this just isn’t true. There are a lot of really good, caring teens out there and Justin is a perfect example of that."

Because of his selflessness, Justin earned the Exceptional Vincentian Award at his work. It's an honor given to those who epitomize the true charitable nature of St. Vincent de Paul. It comes with a cast award and his photo has been hung on the thrift store wall.

Justin's mom, Kimberly Sego, said her son asked why people would make such a big deal out of what he did.

"I said, 'Honey, I think because as we get older, we're all given opportunities somewhere in our life to do such a kind act, and as adults, we tend to overthink it and that moment passes,'" she said. "The adults in the community are like, 'He did it, he did this act of kindness without overthinking it.' Adults are inspired by that because he didn’t miss that moment."

When he's not at work, Justin is a Lake City High School junior and dual-enrolled at North Idaho College. He likes hiking, camping, playing video games and enjoying other normal teenager activities. He has four brothers and a sister, including a fraternal twin.

Although he doesn't know where his career path will take him, he does plan to enlist in the Peace Corps when he graduates.

"My mom always encouraged me to go when I was younger so I've gotten interested in it and done the research and it’s something I want to do," he said. "I want to help people."

Kimberly said Justin seized the moment to show his heart for God and his fellow brothers and sisters.

"I think a lot of us miss it," she said. "I was just super proud that he didn’t miss it."

Justin said he was just treating someone how he would want to be treated.

"If I was in the same position that he was, I would hope that someone would do the same thing for me," he said.