Nico's Experience

Nico started as a MT-10 Scholar in Fall 2022 and earned an AS in general education. He graduated from Helena College in May 2024 and is heading to Southern Oregon University in the fall to study psychology.

The click moment

“It finally clicked—there’s always a click moment—it finally clicked in my head that if I kept leaning into being miserable as my only personality trait then I wouldn’t be anything other than miserable for the rest of my life…and I genuinely don’t want to be miserable for the rest of my life. I enjoy being happy.”

Maedyn's Experience

Maedyn started as a MT-10 Scholar in Fall 2022 and graduated in May 2024 with an AA in general education. She’ll continue at the University of Montana in the fall, where she plans to complete a BA in Social Work and then pursue her law degree. Her starting story was recorded live in our MT-10 First Year Seminar course.

new direction

“I wanted to change the set that it had been for our family. I wanted to steer it in a different direction. I’m the first in my family to go to college and the first to graduate with a college degree.”

Meehka's Experience

Meehka started as a MT-10 scholar in Fall 2021 and graduated in December 2023 with an AA in general education. Meehka first shared her story in a public speaking course but chose to reexamine and redraft it as part of an independent study project during her second-to-last semester. The following recording encapsulates her journey and resilience.

amongst the shadows

“As an adult, I began to call the place that I would disappear to in my imagination, the Land of the Shadows…”

“I am no longer able to hide behind the shadows. Instead, I embrace who I am. There is no more shame in being proud of who I am because finally the hero in my story is me.”

Shaine's Experience

Shaine is a Helena College 2022 graduate and a Montana-10 Scholar.

GRATEFUL

“I feel like I got pretty lucky… I still look back and think like, I could’ve been in jail, could’ve died, could’ve had a lot different outcome, so I’m really grateful it didn’t go that way, and it actually ended up working out really well for me.”