Ten Montana State students complete year of service on local nonprofit boards
Thursday Apr. 24th, 2025
BOZEMAN — Ten Montana State University students have successfully completed another year of Boardroom Bobcats, an innovative program that allows them to experience the realities of serving in the nonprofit sector.
Led by the MSU Leadership Institute, the program started in 2016. Undergraduate and graduate students accepted into the cohort are paired with a local nonprofit in the Gallatin Valley, where they serve an academic year as a non-voting board member. They also attend monthly skill-building sessions with the MSU Leadership Institute and the Office of Student Engagement.
This year, 10 students from a range of academic disciplines and interests completed the Boardroom Bobcats program. Their names, majors, hometowns and nonprofits are listed below.
- Sophia-Kouko Adams: biochemistry; Maple Valley, Washington; served with Suffer Out Loud.
- Robby Brown: economics major and Hispanic studies minor; Billings; served with the Bozeman Film Society.
- Riley Cravens, microbiology major and human development minor; Anchorage, Alaska; served with the Montana Mindfulness Project.
- Emily Fettig, business marketing major and accounting minor; Mill Creek, Washington; served with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country.
- Ginny Lou Garabedian, global and multicultural studies and music; Spokane, Washington; served with We Are HER.
- Joe Lackman, agricultural education major and agricultural business minor; Hysham; served with the Gallatin Watershed Council.
- Ella Morton, finance major and double minor in accounting and entrepreneurship; Albuquerque, New Mexico; served with Bridgercare.
- Melia Swirsky, business marketing and sustainability and environmental stewardship minor; Kaneohe, Hawaii; served with Warriors and Quiet Waters.
- Flor Vega-Castillo, master’s student in public administration; Lima, Peru; served with Bienvenidos a Gallatin Valley.
- Beckett Yeend, business finance; Seattle; served with Opera Montana.
“This program is a phenomenal opportunity for students to build connections in the Bozeman community and supplement what they are learning in the classroom with hands-on experience in the nonprofit industry,” said Daniel Sanberg, director of the MSU Leadership Institute. “Many of these students go on to continue their service with the nonprofits they are paired with. For nonprofits, we hear every year how beneficial it is for them to get a fresh voice and a student perspective.”
For more information or to recommend a nonprofit for the program, reach out to Sandberg at daniel.sandberg@montana.edu.
| Tweet |
