Student Volunteer Awardees Honored For Volunteerism

The Montana Student Volunteer Award is awarded in partnership between the Governor’s O_ce of Community Service and Montana Campus Network for Civic Engagement campuses to college students across the state who have demonstrated meaningful volunteer service to their communities while pursuing a college degree or certificate. This year, 18 college student volunteers across Montana were recognized at a virtual event on Thursday, April 23, and presented with a certificate signed by Gov. Gianforte and their college president.

Poplar’s Jamie Birthmark of the Fort Peck Community College was one of the award recipients. As treasurer of the FPCC Student Senate, Birthmark consistently participates in Senate meetings and campus events throughout the year. During March, she represented FPCC at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Conference in Bismarck, N.D., competing in Knowledge Bowl and Hand Games and helping lead her teams to strong finishes. In November 2025, Birthmark volunteered at FPCC’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness events held at both the Poplar main campus and the Dumont satellite campus in Wolf Point. She is the go-to person on campus: dependable, positive and always ready to contribute.

“Montana’s college students strengthen our communities,” Josh Vanek, MCNCE executive director, shared. “Our board, advisory committee, sta 3and partners acknowledge and celebrate students’ civic engagement and impactful volunteerism.”

Other award winners included:

• Aaniiih Nakoda College, Cody James, Harlem. For the past two years, James has volunteered at every single Aaniiih Nakoda College campus event. As a member of Student Senate, he has helped with the annual Halloween Masquerade and Luminary Walks and volunteers with the Human Services Department at events like Domestic Violence Walks and community outreach. What makes James stand out is that he never needs to be asked. He simply shows up and lends a hand. As he often says, “I will be there to help, no matter what it is you need.”

• Blackfeet Community College, Wesley Wells, Browning. Throughout the 2025-2026 academic year, Wells has consistently volunteered with the Student Success Department, particularly the campus food pantry, stepping in when sta were unavailable to ensure students had access to food. He volunteers in the campus workout center, maintains a steady presence in the Student Center, and actively promotes Blackfeet Community College in the broader community by encouraging others to enroll. Wells leads by example, and his consistency and positive influence make him an outstanding example of service at BCC.

• Carroll College, Christine Elliott, Post Falls, Idaho, Ellott’s commitment to service began at age 6, when she accompanied her mother to emergency preparedness training. As she grew up, Elliott took on increasing responsibility with the Red Cross, eventually serving as president of the Red Cross Club at her high school. Over more than a decade, she has dedicated more than 300 hours to Red Cross service. Now a sophomore pursuing her bachelor of science in nursing at Carroll College, her goal is to care for children with cancer as a pediatric oncology nurse.

• Chief Dull Knife College, Taylor Medicine Horse, Lame Deer. Through involvement in the college’s Native club, Taylor has contributed meaningfully to cultural preservation, community service and student leadership. She has organized campus events designed to foster belonging among Native and non-Native students alike. In the community, Medicine Horse participates in round dances, gourd dances, powwows, and hand games, and has sewn ribbon skirts for fellow members. She has distributed food to community members, assisted elders with daily tasks, and supported orientation programs. Her volunteerism refl ects the Northern Cheyenne values at the heart of Chief Dull Knife College’s mission.

• Dawson Community College, Isobell Kerckaert, Bu lo, Wyo. By the end of spring 2026, Kerckaert will have completed 73 hours of community service, including assisting at a Halloween Trunk or Treat at Head Start, tutoring elementary students in math, scorekeeping at volleyball games, mopping stands after basketball games, helping at the Zonte Craft Fair and with various tournaments throughout the season. Kerckaert is described as thorough, reliable, and is known to leave positive notes for the maintenance team. She represents Dawson Community College at community events with professionalism and warmth, and leans in when things are hard.

• Flathead Valley Community College, JiaJia Farr, Columbia Falls. Since 2024, Farr has volunteered as a violinist at assisted living facilities, local hospitals, and community events throughout the Flathead Valley, bringing comfort and connection to everyone she performs for. She has performed at fundraisers to support the Warming Shelter, the Great Fish Community Challenge, St. Matthew’s Catholic School and other organizations. As Miss Flathead Valley’s Teen and a competitor for Miss Montana’s Teen, she actively involves others in service by collaborating with local organizations and encouraging participation in community events. On campus, Farr serves as a Communications Senator in Student Government and participates in the Honors Program, all as a full-time Running Start student.

• Great Falls College Montana State University, Courtney Salois, Great Falls. Saolis currently serves as secretary of campus student government. This past year, she prepared food baskets for students in need at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, volunteered to welcome new students, and led tours during Opening Day events in August 2025 and January 2026. She is currently helping student government organize a theater troupe visit to campus this spring. For a non-traditional student with family obligations, Courtney’s level of engagement with the campus community is both commendable and genuinely inspiring.

• Helena College University of Montana, Amanda Moulton, Conrad. Moulton serves as president of the Associated Students of Helena College. Though it was a role that found her, she has worked incredibly hard to fill it well and serve her fellow students. Before college, she gave four years to the Family Career and Community Leaders of America, coached junior high tennis players, and led Bible study and Vacation Bible School activities at her church in Conrad. Amanda is kind, driven, and always ready to help others reach their goals.

• Little Big Horn College, Anna Ten Bear, Crow Agency. Ten Bear volunteers at the campus Greenhouse and Bookstore, where she organizes books, assists customers and students, and contributes several hours each week to keeping a welcoming space. She volunteers working with cattle, assisting with feeding, herding, and the hands-on work of tending to animals in the field and in the mountains. Anna brings energy and heart to everything she does. She is a hard worker who leads by example and serves as a positive example of what it looks like to push through challenges and keep moving toward your goals.

• Miles Community College, Chrystean Logan, Miles City. Logan has served her community since high school and has carried that commitment into her freshman year of college. She has been active with the Miles City Bandits Special Olympics teams and the local Meals on Wheels program, staed volunteer tables at the Miles City Christmas Stroll, and volunteered with the MCC softball team to read to children at Highland Park Elementary School. When asked about her volunteerism, Logan says it makes her “big time happy,” and her service reflects her future commitment to a career in occupational therapy.

• Montana State University Billings, Gavin Lee, Billings. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, Lee is out in the community volunteering. His biggest commitment is to Eagle Mount in Billings, traveling over an hour each way to give his time to people with disabilities. He volunteers through his church and on campus, and over the last two semesters has accumulated the most logged service hours of any student at MSUB! What really sets him apart is how much he invests in others: at every opportunity, he recruits his peers to join him in serving, making everyone around him feel seen and valued for the work they do.

• Montana State University Bozeman, Kollen Pipinich, Belgrade. Over three years at MSU, Pipinich has contributed more than 500 hours of volunteer service. His most significant involvement is as a mentor with FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics, where he logged over 440 hours as a State Championship volunteer and Robot Inspector, helping high school students with robot design, programming, and competition preparation. He has contributed more than 70 additional hours through Circle K International and Kiwanis across Montana and in Denver and Pittsburgh. A first-generation college student, Pipinich also rebuilt MSU’s Circle K chapter – growing it from two active members to 15.

• Montana State University Northern, Jalia Haley-Giard, Havre. Haley-Giard volunteers with the Red Cross as a duty o_cer associate, training people across Idaho, Montana and Eastern Oregon to prepare for disaster events, including shelter management, evacuation coordination, and communications. Her enthusiasm for undergraduate research has generated enough momentum that MSU-Northern is hosting a summer research project in Integrated Health Sciences for the very first time, creating paid positions for students in the process. Beyond these commitments, Jalia volunteers online to assist people with blindness through Be My Eyes, classify scientific data through Zooniverse, and counsel people in crisis through Crisis Text Line.

• Montana Technological University, Hayden Diekhans, Geraldine. Since August 2025, Diekhans volunteered 15 hours per week as the student alumni outreach coordinator at the Montana Tech Foundation, coordinating donor and alumni outreach through phone calls that directly support the success of both the Foundation and the campus. As a member of the Montana Tech basketball team, he brings the same passion to the court that he brings to his volunteering. Service and community engagement reflect his character in everything he does at Montana Tech.

Salish Kootenai College, Sarah Cochran, Billings. From 2025 to 2026, Cochran served as Student Senate president at Salish Kootenai College, advocating for student needs and strengthening the connection between campus and community. She also serves as the SKC Graduate Honoring Powwow Ambassador, helping organize culturally significant events that bring people together, and completed an internship with Safe Harbor as a Community Advocacy and Administrative Intern, supporting individuals navigating trauma and instability. Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to Indigenous communities. As Cochran says, “I strive to speak up for Tribal communities and promote a vibrant, healthy, and functioning life for Indigenous peoples.”

• University of Montana, Katia Chavez, Albuquerque, N.M. Since her freshman year, Chavez has been a committed volunteer with Soft Landing Missoula, supporting high school refugee students as a tutor and contributing to Women’s Swim Nights for Muslim women. On campus, she helped reactivate both the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/ Hispanics & Native Americans in Science and Advancing Indigenous Science and Engineering Society student chapters at UM. Chavez is a key leader in the Latiné Student Union supporting her fellow students by holding multiple o_ce hours. Beyond campus, she contributes to Spanish-language radio programming for a nonprofit station and has built a record of conservation service through songbird banding, wildlife education, and as a wildlife technician with the USDA Forest Service. she builds community wherever she goes.

• University of Montana Western, Grace Linton, Frenchtown. Linton is a highly respected student leader at Montana Western who serves in a remarkable range of campus roles: TRIO Peer Advisor, campus ambassador, president of the Cauldron Club, Pacific Islander Club o_cer, Peers Advocating Towards Health (PATH) Leader promoting healthy choices, senator in student government, and member of the American Indian Minority Achievement committee. She helps plan and lead TRIO events, assists with campus tours, and is currently helping organize the Student Leadership Conference. She steps up whenever she is needed, consistently going above and beyond for both students and sta, and her genuine care for her peers makes her a standout leader.