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.
Together we can do more!
Montana Technological University’s Upward Bound and the Unite program join forces during the UB Summer Academy.
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.