Northern student earns Campus Compact student volunteer scholarship

From Montana Campus Compact via Montana State University-Northern

MISSOULA - Montana Campus Compact, an 18-member higher education network that advances the public purposes of higher education, has awarded eleven students across the state of Montana including a Montana State University-Northern student with MTCC 2020 George M. Dennison Civic Engagement Scholarships.

The scholarship honors students at MTCC affiliate campuses who have volunteered significant time, energy and resources - while pursuing a degree or certificate - to projects that make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Half of the funds for each $,1000 scholarship have been donated in memory of George M. Dennison by Jane Dennison and sons, Rick and Robert Dennison, and their families.

George Dennison, a University of Montana president, was a tireless champion of service and the co-founder of Montana Campus Compact. The other half of each scholarship is matched by the winners' institutions.

A Campus Compact release said a highly competitive group applied for the scholarship this year.

"Every applicant is doing exemplary volunteer work and making significant differences in their institutions, communities and the world, a press release announcing the winners said.

Among this year's winners of the civic engagement scholarship is Montana State University-Northern student Ashly Graham of Great Falls.

Graham is non-traditional student, wife and mother who volunteers her time with the Hill County Community Foundation, assisting with event planning, social media management and building their website. She also volunteers her time helping other students with photography, one of her passions, the release said.

"My vision for the community of Havre is to build a community that promotes arts and culture, addresses the needs of the less fortunate and supports the unique and valuable resources that are currently available... In a small rural community such as Havre, these resources have a large, and sometimes life-changing, impact on families."

  The other scholarship winners include University of Montana's Lee Adler of Missoula, who founded and runs the Safer Hometowns Project for Resources and Development, which focuses on providing free community safety and security resources such as active shooter resistance training, security analysis, and EMS instruction. He also donates his time as an Operation Blazing Sword self-defense instructor, offering free lessons in marksmanship and firearms safety, as well as basic EMS and martial arts skills. He is also active in suicide prevention work.

City College Montana State University Billings student Danny Lynn Eder of Poplar volunteers for the Native American Club as well as cultural events hosted at MSUB and on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. But he mainly volunteers his time helping others, the release said, from assisting his fellow students in electrical, welding and math to volunteering his help in working with farmers and ranchers in western Montana.

Sharleen Gilham of Heart Butte, a Blackfeet Community College student, volunteers for several organizations including Cowboys for Life Circle of Hope, which assists cancer patients travel from the Blackfeet reservation to their doctor appointments that can be 100 or more miles away; Pikuni Youth Rodeo that provides healthy outlets for kids through horsemanship and teamwork; the local humane society; and, as the Blackfeet Community College Nursing School class representative, she helps students who are struggling with their studies.

The volunteer service of Carroll College student Connor Hague of Tucson, Arizona, includes everything from answering the crisis line to accompanying survivors in their road to recovery through the Friendship Center; through ExolorationWorks she introduces girls to the STEM fields, her passion and area of study; and she advocates for and connects with seniors through Compassus Hospice, Palliative Care and Home Health.

Caitlin Holzer, a Montana State University student from Bozeman, said she is passionate about helping people who are struggling with mental illness and barriers to health care as well as helping vulnerable youth to develop positive coping skills through outdoor adventures and community service. She created an annual MSU event, the Montanathon, to raise funds for Shodair Children's Hospital for youth battling mental illness and genetic disorders. She has also been intimately involved in fundraising for the Swifty Foundation, raising $8500 by leading a head-shaving campaign. Currently, she is helping to start Bozeman's only broad-based community non-profit organization to bring together community members and organizations to make holistic and sustainable changes to improve healthcare in Bozeman and Montana.  

Salish Kootenai College Ian McRyhew of Butte is an ambassador for wildlife and conservation. As the SKC SEEDS Ecology president, he is helping to build awareness and raise funds for a memorial for a beloved teacher, and a native plants restoration project. Through the Natural Resource club he educates others about waste and recycling with a goal of getting rid of all single use plastics on campus. He has also helped build homes for the homeless in Mexico.

Willow Peterson of Bridger, a Montana State University Billings student, is president of the MSUB HEROES organization, part of the BACCHUS Peer Education Network, which works to educate and inform student, faculty, administrators, and staff about health issues that affect the campus community, including alcohol use, abuse, and misuse; HIV/AIDS; tobacco awareness and cessation; fitness, nutrition and sexual health; and to increase awareness and communication within the academic community regarding health-related matters for college students.

University of Montana student Roy Savage Jr. of Missoula is a veteran whose mission in life is to help people who are suffering from trauma to heal. His volunteer efforts include founding and building Heroes Therapeutic Outreach Program, a non-profit that provides free mind/body/spirit programs for veterans at the Red Willow Learning Center. He is also a founding service provider and volunteer for Joining Community Forces-Missoula Region.

University of Providence student Keaton Sunchild of Great Falls, has a passion for making the world a better place, and believes that he can best do that through politics. At the age of 18 Keaton ran for a seat in the Montana House of Representatives. Despite his loss, he is running again in hopes of giving young people a voice in the direction of our state and our country. Keaton also volunteers with Great Falls Rising, representing high school- to college-aged people in Great Falls. His goal is to give his generation the best possible chance to succeed.

Sarah Swingley of Helena, a Carroll College student, is a volunteer for Youth Aware of Mental Health who helps freshman students learn effective methods of tackling life's stressors through role play and group discussion. As a YAM instructor, she also teaches her peers about depression and suicide. As the co-founder of the Niceness is Priceless Club, Sarah helps spread kindness through small random acts of kindness and working with high school and elementary students to help them develop emotional intelligence, empathy and kindness skills.

For more information about Campus Compact and our programs and initiatives people can visit http://mtcompact.org online.