Highlands College student connects with campus resources, community to overcome adversity
To say Luke Martin’s start at Highlands College was rough, and required a lot of Oredigger grit to overcome, would probably be an understatement. He arrived on campus two weeks late, with plans to take a hefty 16-credit-hour course load, but no idea how to execute his financial aid award.
Without a car, he explored the public transportation options but ultimately found a solution with a local bike shop. His determination led to a successful negotiation, securing a BMX bike within the few dollars he had in his pocket.
“I was pedaling roughly six miles a day,” Martin said. “I rode that bike for probably a month and a half. Then winter rolled around, and my eyes were freezing in the wind while riding, so I couldn’t deal with it anymore.”
Eventually Martin got a working vehicle to get to campus. It was a tough time, but this wasn’t Martin’s first battle against adversity. As a child, he was separated from his sister, who was six years older, due to his mother having mental health and substance abuse issues. He was adopted by his grandparents who lived in Washington at the time. Eventually, the family moved to Cypress, Texas, an hour north of Houston, where he planned to attend community college until a visit to Montana. During a trip to see his sister, his brother-in-law gave him a tour of Butte and the Montana Tech campus. The Butte-Anaconda Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, caught his attention.
“That’s part of the reason why I fell in love with Butte. Butte has a story that’s super cool,” Martin said.
Martin had done well in high school, where he was a member of the varsity swim team and qualified for advanced classes.
“I was very ambitious, because I never had any issues in high school. So, I felt like I had a good edge,” he said.
But when he got to Butte, he found that college was completely different.
“There’s no one holding you to a standard,” Martin said. “You have to hold yourself to a standard. That was a big adjustment because in high school, your teachers are always reminding you, ‘Can’t you get this in? You haven’t filled it in.’ But in college, they just tell you that this is the due date. Then next week we’re already talking about a new assignment.”
Martin ended up on academic probation and was a bit depressed after his second semester. He had high expectations for himself.
“I’m very determined,” Martin said. “I have a lot on my shoulders. I’m the first in my family to go to college. I don’t want to fail.”
Martin ended up back on track by connecting with campus resources and integrating into the community.
After changing his major to Associate of Science and connecting with Associate Dean of Students & Executive Director of Student Success Sarah North Wolfe things changed.
“She helped turn it around,” Martin said.
North Wolfe recommended that Martin enroll in the TRIO Student Support Services STEM program. TRIO is a federally funded program designed to serve first-generation, income eligible, and students with disabilities. The program provides opportunities in academic development, financial literacy, career awareness, and other college requirements. TRIO Student Support Services STEM serves to motivate students towards the successful completion of their post-secondary education.
As part of the program, Martin receives additional one-on-one advising from Director of TRIO Student Support Services Carissa Johnson. Johnson’s help was invaluable to Martin.
“For my financial aid, I had a lot of issues at the start of the semester, and Sarah and Carissa were both extremely helpful in figuring all of that out and giving me advice on what I need to get done,” Martin said.
Johnson also connected Martin with a scholarship available exclusively to TRIO participants. Martin was able to access tutor resources that helped him raise his grades. Martin implemented a new study schedule, incorporating more group study sessions. ‘‘I stayed committed to attending tutoring which dramatically improved my understanding of complex subjects. As a result, I was able to bring up my term GPA from a 1.8 to a 2.6.”
Martin also found a local church community that helped him re-charge his spirit.
“During the biggest struggles of my life, the one place I always felt safe was at church,” Martin said. “Having the close connection with God and Jesus Christ has been a very big thing.”
Martin’s now on the path to graduation, with an ultimate goal to become a physical therapist. In addition to getting his feet under him at college, he was recently promoted to night manager at Taco Del Sol. While more challenges in his personal life have arisen, Martin is confident he’ll cross the graduation stage.
In addition to his supportive family, he’s got a few folks on campus he’s thankful to for helping him figure things out.
“Specifically, the financial aid staff, and that entire group, they’ve been super, super helpful and really, really nice,” Martin said. “I remember my first semester, they helped me with so many things. I ended up bringing them cookies.”
The Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) also gets a rave review from Martin.
“ACE has been one of the biggest resources for me,” Martin said. “If I’m ever behind on anything, I can literally just go to an ACE office, put my head down for a couple hours, and I know that there’s a tutor there or someone who’s sitting there that’s willing to help.”
Martin’s biggest piece of advice to students is to connect with others on campus.
“Make friends in your classes,” Martin said. “Meet with your advisors because your advisor is crucial to understanding your campus. Just being able to get around and have people that you know are able to be there for you, and willing to help you is awesome.”
Montana Tech would like to connect more students with TRIO Student Support Services. Students can apply to the program here. The program offers the following services:
- One-on-one individualized academic success coaching
- Orientation for incoming freshmen
- Guidance in academic, personal, and career goals
- Tutoring and study groups
- Assistance in graduate school applications
- Student Success Workshops
- STEM field trips and leadership conferences
- Graduate school tours and preparation
- Scholarship assistance
To qualify, students must be pursuing a four-year STEM degree, first-generation (neither parent has received a bachelor’s degree), income-eligible, or have a documented disability. Due to federal guidelines, TRIO Student Support Services cannot work with international students, or students who already have obtained a bachelor’s degree. For more information, reach out to Johnson at cjohnson25@mtech.edu or 406-496-4289.
Non-traditional engineering student highlights importance of TRIO Student Support Services at Montana Tech
When Riley Huckins graduated from Cheney High School in Cheney, Washington over a decade ago, he did not even consider college as an option.
“I had no one to talk to me about college,” Huckins remembers. “My high school didn’t actively promote college attendance or offer related programs. My parents didn’t attend college, so I thought I would go work wherever. Looking back, if I had somebody to teach me the importance of attending college, I would have gone a long time ago.”
Instead of enrolling in higher education, Huckins found himself working mostly manual labor jobs in the labor shop and maintenance sector at an open pit gold mine in Elko, Nevada.
“I had good jobs; I had bad jobs, but never found a career,” Huckins said.
His mother later moved to Butte and he followed. He enrolled at Montana Tech after deciding it’s time to make a career for the future. As a 2nd year student, he’s currently torn between electrical and mining engineering.
“My favorite job ever was working in a mine,” Huckins said. “But I also just have a hunch that electrical engineering is going to be needed for everything as we progress in the future. I also find circuits and stuff like that pretty interesting.”
One source of help in succeeding as a non-traditional student has been the TRIO Student Support Services STEM program. TRIO is a federally funded program designed to serve first-generation, income eligible, and students with disabilities. The program provides opportunities in academic development, financial literacy, career awareness, and other college requirements. TRIO Student Support Services STEM serves to motivate students towards the successful completion of their post-secondary education.
As part of the program, Huckins is advised by Director of TRIO Student Support Services Carissa Johnson.
“I had a really rough last semester, and Carissa was always checking on me,” Huckins said. “She knew everything that was going on. She gave me a lot of help in school, but she also gave me a ton of resources outside of Montana Tech to help. If I needed something and couldn’t find it, she would go look at what was available in Butte, and try to help me find what I needed.”
Johnson also helped Huckins land a scholarship. Huckins says the extra support offered by TRIO makes a difference.
“The best part about TRIO is that yes, you have a general advisor when you go to college, but that advisor has a lot on their plate, whereas the TRIO advisor, they focus on you. They focus on you, listen to you. They ask you what you specifically need help with.”
Huckins is doing well in his classes. He’s especially skilled in math, but chemistry has been a bit of a challenge.
“For 13 years, I did not use any of that knowledge so I’m re-teaching myself everything to use in college,” Huckins said.
So far, Huckins is pleased with his choice to attend Montana Tech as a non-traditional student. He’s got advice for other older students who might worry that they won’t fit on campus.
“There are a lot more non-traditional students on campus than you think,” Huckins said. “Pretty much all my friends here are non-traditional. Some of my friends here are 60 years old and they’re going to college. So, don’t think to yourself, ‘Oh, I’m already 30. What’s the point?’ Just go to college. TRIO helps a lot with that.”
Students can apply to TRIO Student Support Services here. The program offers the following services:
- One-on-one individualized academic success coaching
- Orientation for incoming freshmen
- Guidance in academic, personal, and career goals
- Tutoring and study groups
- Assistance in graduate school applications
- Student Success Workshops
- STEM field trips and leadership conferences
- Graduate school tours and preparation
- Scholarship assistance
To qualify, students must be pursuing a four-year STEM degree, first-generation (neither parent has received a bachelor’s degree), income-eligible, or have a documented disability. Due to federal guidelines, TRIO Student Support Services cannot work with international students, or students who already have obtained a bachelor’s degree. For more information, reach out to Johnson at cjohnson25@mtech.edu or 406-496-4289.
Theresa Rader Receives The 2024 Art Quinn Memorial Award
Montana Technological University is proud to announce that Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Opportunities Theresa Rader received the Art Quinn Memorial Award at the ASPIRE Regional Conference held Sept. 29- Oct. 2. 2024 in Helena.
The Art Quinn Memorial Award is the highest honor given through ASPIRE, Inc., an organization that serves more than 45,000 low-income and first-generation students in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah. ASPIRE notes recipients of the award are “long-term ASPIRE members who have excelled in providing services and support to ASPIRE and on behalf of TRIO programs and recipients at the institutional, state, regional, or national level. Art Quinn Memorial Award recipients are professionals who have shown a long-term dedication to assisting TRIO-eligible students in a manner that extends well beyond general expectations and project guidelines.”
Rader is honored to receive the award.
“It was quite a surprise,” Rader said. “Honestly, I was texting, so I missed the first part of the nomination. It didn’t register that they were talking about me until about midway through. I guess that’s my lesson for not paying attention. When I realized it, I became pretty emotional. It’s a big deal to be recognized by your peers and even more special that this peer was also one of my students.”
Former TRIO/Upward Bound Director Adam Maes nominated Rader for consideration.
“When I met Theresa, I was a freshman in high school in the Upward Bound Program, and she was just starting her role as an Upward Bound coordinator,” Maes wrote. “Throughout my high school career Theresa was a constant presence and was a safe person for many students. I always looked forward to our Saturday Academies because I knew she would be there. Later when she became my colleague during my time at Montana Tech, she moved into a different mentorship position. She was always a supportive presence as I helped pay back the services that were provided to me. She’s acted as my sounding board and even more recently my boss. Throughout all my TRIO career she has always had my back and made sure that I would continually grow and improve. She always knows the line of when to give encouragement and when to provide the tough love that is needed. I know I don’t just speak for myself, but for many students/adults/coworkers when I say Theresa has made a profound difference in my life.”
Rader has previously held various leadership roles within TRIO programs including director of TRIO SSS, and a TRIO coordinator for Upward Bound and Talent Search. She has also served as president of the Montana Chapter of ASPIRE, president of the ASPIRE region and secretary of the Council for Opportunity in Education board. She is only the sixth person from Montana to receive the award since its inception in 1987.
Alumni share experiences, advice about attending college as a first-generation student at Montana Tech
Three Montana Technological University alumni who have gone on to become influential members of the Butte community spoke of the challenges and the triumphs of being a first-generation student in a panel discussion hosted by the Institute for Educational Opportunities on Thursday, November 7.
The discussion was part of the First-Generation College Celebration, which takes place at universities and colleges across the U.S. Panel members were led in their discussion by first-generation alumnus Tom Reget, who serves multiple roles as TRIO digital content creator, SSS student advisor and Montana 10 advisor. Panel members included Melissa Swanson, a physical therapist at Intermountain Health; Leesla Jonart, risk management/contract administrator at Pioneer Technical; and Paul Babb, community relations manager at NorthWestern Energy.
Babb stressed the importance of education.
“Education is something I view as a lifelong endeavor,” Babb said, adding that even now as a well-established professional, he makes sure to take advantage of every educational opportunity offered through his employer.
Babb said that while some people may question the importance of getting a degree, he believes it is still worth it.
“There is value in getting your degree,” Babb said. “Once you get that degree, it can never be taken away from you. There really is value in the network of people that have a college degree or have gone to a trade school … In the long run, it pays off … You have to put in the time. I think now days, all of us we are into instant gratification, and we don’t want to put in the time, but if you don’t put in the time, you are not going to be successful.”
Swanson stressed the importance of adapting. When she arrived at Montana Tech as a student-athlete, she thought she wanted to be an athletic trainer, but mid-way through college she changed her mind and switched gears toward physical therapy. She hustled the last two years of her undergraduate degree to get the certifications and experience needed to be accepted by the University of Montana’s physical therapy school.
“The path or the road is not going to be a straight shot,” Swanson said.
Now as a physical therapist, Swanson says she gets to work with a much more diverse patient base than if she had stuck to athletic training. She performs rewarding work with the elderly, the homeless and other populations she never would have encountered as a college athletic trainer.
Jonart shared the story of how her college journey included many twists and turns. She earned a full ride athletic scholarship to a college in Wyoming but was unable to attend. She started at Montana Tech, transferred to the University of Montana, dropped out, started classes at Highlands College through the help of an employer, and earned an associate’s degree. Ten years after starting college, she earned her bachelor’s degree in business.
“It was one of the proudest moments of my life,” Jonart said.
In 2010, she went on to earn her master’s degree.
“I wish someone would have told me it wasn’t a race,” she said.
She had two final words of advice for first-generation students working their way through school.
“Don’t quit.”
2021 Walter O. Mason Award
Amy Verlanic, the Former Director of Montana Technological University’s Institute for Educational Opportunities received the Walter O. Mason Award at the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) – 40 Years of Good Trouble: Equity, Access, and Success annual conference in Atlanta, GA.
The Walter O. Mason Award is the highest honor awarded by the COE and recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions to college opportunity programs and the advancement of educational opportunity for low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities.
As the leading association dedicated to the advancement of college access, the COE Annual Conference is the largest gathering of TRIO and GEAR UP staff. More than 2,500 college access professionals are gathering to learn and share ideas about areas such as best practices, financial literacy, STEM education, and retention.
2021 National TRIO Achiever Award
2021 National TRIO Achiever Award recipient Rabih Najjar, Senior Director of Strategic Projects, Hertz Corporations is a Montana Technological University’s Upward Bound program alumni. Najjar leads the operational initiatives for the Hertz Corporation and is responsible for the continued innovation, performance, and growth of Hertz and its brands. With a small-town mindset in a large corporate environment, Rabih is known for bringing together all levels of an organization to share a common vision to maximize operational excellence.
Najjar represents the thousands of Montanans who deserve the outreach provided by the TRIO programs. Having grown up in Anaconda, Montana as the oldest of four children, his immigrant family instilled the simple values of hard work and generosity. For Najjar, the doors opened by Montana Tech’s Upward Bound program and the supportive staff cannot be quantified. He credits Upward Bound at Montana Tech for his quick learning of social behavior and motivation – to find a way to relate to people of all backgrounds, education, and experience. The help, encouragement, and confidence Najjar received by being part of the Upward Bound program in high school created a ripple effect of opportunities, eventually earning him his current position.
When he arrived at Montana State University, he quickly surrounded himself with help. He knew his success could not be left to chance. He enrolled in the TRIO Student Support Services program at MSU and took advantage of its tutoring and other services. Living in the dorms summer after summer in Upward Bound prepared him for employment as a resident advisor at MSU, which is how he paid his way through, ultimately earning a BS in Business Management.
2021 Upward Bound Summer Trip
Upward Bound, one of Montana Technological University’s TRIO programs, is a federally funded college prep program for students in grades 9-12.
A total of 55 Upward Bound students from Butte, Anaconda, & Helena spent part of their summer at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios Orlando, and Wild Florida where they participated in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes that included studying kinetic and potential energy, the history of our space program, and ecological issues.
Dual Enrollment – Our friends at the Highlands Campus
Through Big Sky Pathways and dual enrollment courses, we provide high school students the opportunity to get a jump start on college coursework.
Big Sky Pathways are career pathways that start with coursework in high school and allow students to achieve success by seamlessly transferring from high school to college and careers through a program of study. Explore the career pathway options we offer.