OPPORTUNITIES!

Told by Montana Tech's AmeriCorps Team Leader Rachel Towsnend.
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TRIO Day students attend the Closing Ceremony hosted by Montana Tech Chemistry

“This is so awesome! Much cooler than a tour around campus…” 

On February 23rd, Montana Tech of the University of Montana celebrated TRIO Day, an opportunity to focus the nation's "attention on the needs of disadvantaged young people and adults aspiring to improve their lives if they are to become contributing citizens of the country, and to the talent which will be wasted if that investment is not made."

Students head underground for a tour of one of Butte’s inactive mines.

Students from middle and high schools in and around the Butte area came to our university to experience first-hand the voluptuous opportunities college access will provide them. From touring underground mines with professionals to memorization from Tech’s chemistry students demonstrating various chemical reactions, it was certainly a day worth celebrating.

Junior and Senior Upward Bound students after their tour
of one of Butte’s inactive mines

Although four-year universities do not bode well with every person’s career aspirations, academia past high school allots everyone an opportunity that otherwise would not be possible. It is important for students to realize their potential and begin thinking about life after high school from an early age;

however, it is one thing to be told of different possibilities and entirely another to see what is possible in face-to-face situations.
During the event, junior and senior Upward Bound students had an opportunity to travel 100 feet underground to tour an inactive educational mine. They walked with lights on their hardhats, reflective vests on their backs, and smiles on their faces. Butte is known as the “Richest Hill on Earth” for its mining history, which the majority of the students who came to campus for this year’s TRIO Day celebration are interested in pursuing to some degree.

Sublimity has a funny way of taking over when you have a room full of countywide students who are genuinely excited about their next steps.

High School TRIO students.

TRIO student with Amanda Curtis, a member of the Montana
House of Representatives.

REFLECTIONS ON THE 2016 MONTANA COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK CONFERENCE

MTCC AmeriCorps member Noah Davis, center.

I've served with the Montana College Access Network's steering committee for just about five years. I remember hearing about this diverse coalition of folks involved with college access and success from K-12, Higher Ed., Financial Aid, the TRiO and Montana Aspire Community, GEAR Up folks, etc. and wondering about how it all worked. What struck me at the time was that because Campus Compact is a network of campuses advancing the higher ed's public purposes, college access and success offered some great potential for alignment, and strong big picture support from the Compact movement. The MCAN Conference just celebrated it's fifth birthday last week, and well over 100 attendees from all corners on Montana made the trek out, and made me want to reflect a little.

MCAN Past Chair Michelle Christianson

Completing post secondary education is the one tried and true way for folks to improve their earning potential, and finding careers that sustain them and their families. I've learned a lot from working with MCAN, mostly about the importance of vigorously opening the doors of higher education to first generation and low-income students, and about the Lumina Foundation's Goal 2025, which talks about the importance of degree attainment in an evolving labor market, and highlights the need of states to respond comprehensively in order to position more citizens for careers. I've been steadily inspired by folks like Student Assistance Foundation's Kelly Cresswell and Rhonda Safford and Montana Tech's Michelle Christianson who tirelessly have kept MCAN a priority for so many of us. They helped pull together a conference that convenes all kinds of access and success stakeholders, and that uses collective impact model to align the work in the college access space. Michelle was just recognized for her years of service with MCAN, as steering committee chair, conference chair, and now past chair.

Since Campus Compact began working with MCAN, we at Campus Compact have done a number of things to directly support this work:

1) We've provided AmeriCorps VISTAs to support MCAN's statewide work. Both Molly Wilkins and Amber Rhodes served from Helena, with MCAN helping to build capacity for MCAN, which as of today is official 501C3.

2) We've supported the Local College Access work that Montana Tech and Bitterroot College have undertaken with VISTAs like Cody LaBean and Kate Johnson.

3) We've placed VISTA Summer Associates with TRiO Upward Bound programs, like that at the University of Montana.

And finally, last fall we launched an AmeriCorps state program with the support of the Montana office of Community Service. This program currently has leaders serving with Dawson Community College, MSU Northern, Montana Tech and Bitterroot College. And we currently are recruiting for positions in Great Falls, Billings and in Crow Agency. We're proud of the work Campus Compact has done in the college access and success space, and are happy to answer questions and lend a hand if you're interested in partnering. Email or call me (406-243-5175), don't hesitate.

MONTANA TECH INVESTS IN COMMUNITY!

MTCC AmeriCorps VISTA member Cody LaBean, serving with Montana Tech's Institute for Educational Opportunities and Butte's Local College Access Network, assisted with National TRiO Day on February 22nd in Helena.  Here's what he had to say about it:
"National TRIO Day is a 'National Day of Service' that helps address the complex needs of young people and adults aspiring to improve their lives. TRiO Day was an opportunity for over 100 TRiO Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound students from Butte, Deer Lodge, and Helena to volunteer, visit campuses and consider postsecondary education. The group visited two Montana higher education institutions, and it highlighted the need for investment in these individuals to develop their talents to become actively engaged citizens."

He goes on to say, "The day involved the following: a tour of Helena College, a guest speaker from Carroll College, a trip to the Capital Building, a speed cup stacking tournament for middle school Educational Talent Search participants, and service opportunities for Upward Bound students at the Helena Food Share, Humane Society, and Bryant Elementary school."

"My role was to help chaperon the event, and assist the Butte TRiO Coordinator lead a group of students to serve with the Helena Humane Society. I led the final reflection activity, which I called "Dance to Reflect."  The reflection activity highlighted what the students felt were the pros and cons of this year's TRiO Day."
Keep up the amazing work, Cody!

Cody at the Helena Humane Society.