Local College Student Wins Volunteer Award
Share
Tweet
On February 3, the Montana Campus Compact announced the names of fourteen student volunteers. Among that group is Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC) student, Xavier Hawley. Hawley was honored in a campus ceremony on Thursday for his civic contributions. He received a certificate signed by Governor Greg Gianforte and ANC President Sean Chandler.
Housed on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, the Montana Campus Compact (MTCC), in partnership with their affiliate campuses and the Governor's Office of Community Service, present this annual award to Montana students of any age who demonstrate outstanding community volunteerism and leadership in service while pursuing a college degree or certificate.
Officials at ANC submitted Hawley's nomination as a way to honor him for his volunteer efforts and to recognize his service to the community. Hawley, who is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ecology, earned his associate degree in Environmental Science at ANC.
According to his instructors, Hawley excels as a student and serves as a role model. His leadership is evident in his involvement with Student Senate and on the ANC Science Bowl Team. For maintaining a cumulative 4.0 GPA and achieving a place on the President's List each semester, Hawley was inducted into ANC's Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and awarded the President's Award.
Hawley's volunteer work was an extension of his internship at ANC's Whiteclay Immersion School where he worked as both a mentor and a basic Aaniiih Language Teacher. He also assisted the first graders with math and phonics and taught the second grade science lessons, designing experiments to help students understand basic science principles.
This internship further enabled Hawley to perform volunteer service with the local Head Start program. He taught basic Aaniiih language skills to the three and four-year-old students. Because of those internship experiences, Hawley is now employed at the Immersion School as the science teacher. He also continues to teach Aaniiih with the Head Start program.
Hawley, who expressed pleasure in the various tasks that he had working with the children, also underscored the importance of knowing and learning the Aaniiih language. One of his many goals is to become a fluent speaker as he continues to teach the language.
About the award, the Governor's Office of Community Service Director Sarah Sadowski stated: "Montana students who serve our communities enrich their education and make meaningful impacts across our great state. It is an honor to recognize these amazing individuals for their service in partnership with Montana Campus Compact."
When nominations for the MTCC Student Volunteer Awards open in the fall, campuses across Montana organize committees and seek nominations from across the institution. From those nominations, they select the student who most meets the award criteria. Nominations close in December each year.
