Above (l to r): Connor Hague and Sarah Swingley
HELENA – Carroll College students Connor Hague and Sarah Swingley were recently awarded the 2020 George M. Dennison Civic Engagement Scholarship by Montana Campus Compact for volunteering significant time, energy, and resources – while pursuing a degree – to projects that make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. They were two of eleven Montana college students statewide to receive this scholarship.
A senior double major in biochemistry and molecular biology from Tucson, Ariz., Connor Hague’s volunteer service includes everything from answering the crisis line to accompanying survivors in their road to recovery through the Friendship Center; introducing girls to the STEM fields, her passion and area of study, through her work at ExplorationWorks; and advocating for and connecting with senior citizens through Compassus Hospice, Palliative Care and Home Health.
“I want to live in and contribute to a global community that is adamantly meeting everyone's basic needs…Survivors of domestic abuse often have to flee with nothing, and start their lives anew. But when scaled down to a community, these basic needs can often be met with basic solutions. I can't give every survivor a home, car, and job – but I can provide one pair of shoes and food for the night.”
Sarah Swingley, a sophomore from Helena, Mont., is a double major in public health and psychology. As a volunteer for Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM), Sarah helps freshmen students learn effective methods of tackling life’s stressors through role play and group discussion. As a YAM instructor, she also teaches her peers about depression and suicide. As the co-founder of the Niceness is Priceless Club, Sarah helps spread kindness through small random acts of kindness and working with high school and elementary students to help them develop emotional intelligence, empathy and kindness skills.
“I have always had a heart for the little, the least, and the lost. I truly believe that every person I interact with has value and worth which deserves to be recognized and appreciated…My vision for my community is that no one would ever feel alone, but rather that they would have someone in their life who cherishes them.”
Montana Campus Compact (MTCC), an eighteen-campus higher education network that advances the public purposes of higher education, awarded the eleven students across the state of Montana with MTCC 2020 George M. Dennison Civic Engagement Scholarships. Half of the funds for each $1,000 scholarship have been donated in memory of George M. Dennison by Jane Dennison and sons, Rick and Robert Dennison, and their families. George Dennison was a tireless champion of service and the co-founder of Montana Campus Compact. The other half of each scholarship is matched by the winners’ institutions.