Northern profiles local Student Excellence Award winners

Press release

Montana State University-Northern announced last Friday, the recipients of the Student Excellence Awards, which is the highest honor that a student can receive. 

Three area students received this award. 

Erika Anderson is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Operation Technology and an Associate of Science in Diesel Technology with plans to eventually work in the agriculture industry. She has served in a variety of leadership roles on campus including as a Student Ambassador, Collegiate Stockgrowers, where she is currently the Vice President, and Professional Agriculture Students, where she currently serves as the IOC Representative and previously served as the vice president and president. Anderson has a 3.83 GPA and has been the recipient of numerous scholarships, including the MSU-Northern Chancellor Waiver and the MSU-Northern Gold Merit Waiver.  She plans to gain experience in agronomy, conservation, or livestock management before pursuing graduate school in Agriculture Education or a Livestock specialty. Passionate about agriculture and MSU-Northern, Anderson's end goal is to return to Northern as a faculty member. She is a 2017 graduate of Chinook High School and the daughter of Bruce and Sally Anderson.

Kishey Baker graduated in 2006 from MSU-Northern with departmental distinction in elementary education and is a graduate student in the Counselor Education Program with a 3.8 GPA. Baker's priority has been working toward earning a masters in school counseling and taking care of her family, but she has been actively sharing her culture with faculty, staff, fellow students and the community. She was raised with her native language and has brought Indigenous ways of knowing to the community through her volunteer work with the Little River Institute and by serving as a mentor to children in her home community's schools. Following graduation next spring, Baker plans to work as a counselor with a school district, a mental health behavior clinic, or agency working to help individuals seeking support or counseling for mental health wellness, while earning hours towards her LCPC license.  She is a 1993 graduate of Scott Collegiate High School in Regina, Saskatchewan, and lives with her spouse, Harlan Baker and her children in Box Elder.

Brittany Garden will be graduating this spring with a 3.39 GPA and a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies with a minor in psychology. She has successfully managed to work full-time while maintaining full-time status as a student.  Garden is an inducted member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, an active member of MSU-N's chapter of the American Association of University Women, has volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, and was accepted to attend the NEW Montana Leadership Program at the University of Montana this June. Garden plans to attend graduate school to pursue a master's in English, with a goal of teaching at the community college level.  Brittany is a 2015 graduate of Havre High School and the daughter of Doug and Brandi Garden.

Other recipients of this award include: Adam Huse, Cody Murphy, Rilee Peterson, Ryan Roche, Petra Sellin and Amos Taiswa.