Author: An TranVu

  • Starting Service in Missoula with the Military and Veteran Services Office by Rachelle Lang

    Starting Service in Missoula with the Military and Veteran Services Office by Rachelle Lang

    Two months ago, I flew across the country from Massachusetts to Missoula to start volunteering with the Military and Veteran Students Office at the University of Montana. No, I do not have a personal connection to the military or to the state of Montana, but that makes my year of service all the more of…

  • An Early Reflection of My Experience With AmeriCorps by Isaac Gonzalez

    An Early Reflection of My Experience With AmeriCorps by Isaac Gonzalez

    I drove around 2100 miles in total to get to training, and then to my host site. It was my first time driving out of state, then my first time in several states, including Montana. I believe it is incredibly important to do good things for others, and I have tried to make a positive…

  • Settling in to Small Town Life by Ruth Holliday

    Settling in to Small Town Life by Ruth Holliday

    It is hard to believe that I’m already two months into my year of service. I feel like it was just yesterday that my mom dropped me off here in Whitefish, MT, after a three-day road trip from Kansas City that she generously helped me drive. These first two months have been a big adjustment,…

  • Settling Into Fort Peck Reservation by Aubrey Pfalzgraf

    Settling Into Fort Peck Reservation by Aubrey Pfalzgraf

    I have the pleasure of having a year of experiences ahead on the Fort Peck Reservation in Eastern Montana. I am serving on campus at Fort Peck Community College building a natural resources curriculum reflective of the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of the area. How cool is that? I have been out here for a…

  • Montana Campuses Invited to Participate in Montana Makes a Difference Day: October 24th

    The Governor’s Office of Community Service and Montana’s 250th Committee have made a request of the Montana Campus Network for Civic Engagement to help culminate Montana’s celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary with student service projects. Campuses interested in participating should have a discussion locally to determine what the service project will be, and shore…

  • Expecting Challenges Along The Way

    Expecting Challenges Along The Way

    I served as an AmeriCorps Summer Associate in 2024 at the Missoula Food Bank & Community Center to support their Kids Table program. This was my first experience serving with AmeriCorps and it influenced my decision to return as a VISTA member this year. My previous service helped fortify a future I imagined for myself:…

  • August 2026 MCNCE Newsletter

    August 2026 MCNCE Newsletter

    We are so honored to be part of the service journeys of seventeen new AmeriCorps VISTA members across #Montana! Last week, at the UM Lubrecht Experimental Forest, our staff onboarded and trained seventeen, full-time service members who will serve via higher education institutions and partner nonprofits to address poverty challenges like hunger, nutrition and educational…

  • Montana Campuses Turn Remembrance into Action Through 9/11 Day of Service Projects

    This September, nine Montana colleges and universities within the Montana Campus Network for Civic Engagement will honor the 25th anniversary of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance by transforming reflection into meaningful action. Through projects that recognize veterans, first responders, families, and community organizations, students, faculty, staff, and local partners will demonstrate…

  • July 2026 MCNCE Newsletter

    July 2026 MCNCE Newsletter

    After a successful and informative Advisory Committee Retreat at Montana Technological University last month, we at the Campus Network for Civic Engagement office are in affiliation season and summer is the time of year we get set up for all of our programs, grants, initiative and scholarships. We’ve sent affiliation agreements out to our campuses,…

  • June 2026 MCNCE Newsletter

    June 2026 MCNCE Newsletter

    The Western Region Continuums of Service Consortium (WRCOS), which all MCNCE campuses are a part of, is pleased to offer the Awareness in Action: Bright Sky on Campus grant opportunity to campuses via the Vodafone Americas Foundation. Campus grants will highlight Bright Sky, a unique, community-based tool that gives friends, peers, educators, and students resources…

  • 9/11 Day of Service Grants Available to Campuses

    The MCNCE network partners with the Alliance for Campus Community Engagement and together, we received grant funding for the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance. Our Montana colleges and universities, and their staffs and students, regularly organize impactful service projects, and actively support students in building connections and ties to their communities, supporting retention and…

  • Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 4

    Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 4

    Welcome to the 4th and final session of the Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 webinar series, held on November 20th, 2025. This session features a presentation by Chris La Tray. About Chris:Chris La Tray is a Métis storyteller, a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North and a citizen…

  • Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 3

    Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 3

    Welcome to the third session of the Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 webinar series, held on November 13, 2025. This session features a presentation by Dylan Running Crane. About Dylan:Dylan is a writer and musician from Browning, Montana. She is a citizen of the Amskapii Pikunii tribe, and her Indigenous background informs all of her…

  • Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 2

    Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 2

    Welcome to the second session of the Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 webinar series, held on November 6, 2025. This session features a presentation by Terran Last Gun. A bit about Terran: Terran Last Gun, Saakwaynaamah’kaa (Last Gun), (b. 1989, Browning, MT) is an enrolled citizen of the Piikani (Blackfeet) of Montana and a visual…

  • Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 1

    Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 | Session 1

    Welcome to the first session of the Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2025 webinar series, held on October 30, 2025. This session features presentations by the following students: Melisa Trombley at Blackfeet Community CollegeRachel Saldivar at Montana State UniversityChevy Reum at University of MontanaTaya Falcon at Montana State University BillingsDamion Kingfisher at Chief Dull Knife College…

  • 9/11 Mini Grants for College Service Projects

    We are part of the Western Region Continuums of Service Consortium and received grant funding for the upcoming 9/11 Day of Service. As a network of 18 colleges and universities statewide that support college student community service, we’re excited to get the word out! We know many colleges in our network already host service projects,…

  • Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2024 | Session 4

    Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2024 | Session 4

    Welcome to the fourth session of the Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2024 webinar series, held on October 24, 2024. This session features a presentation by Matthew Johnson from Buffalo Hide Academy. Presentation Title: Using culturally appropriate strategies aligned with Restorative practices and trauma-informed care to create resiliency and promote positive relationships and achievement in the…

  • Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2024 | Session 3

    Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2024 | Session 3

    Welcome to the third session of the Centering Indigenous Knowledge webinar series, held on October 17, 2024. This session features presentations from Wendy Felese, Tysha Oleyte, and Kennedy Skinner of Montana State University Billings. Presentation Title: Bringing It Home at MSUB Moderated by:Dr. Karla Bird This session is part of a free online series focused…

  • Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2024 | Session 2

    Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Fall 2024 | Session 2

    Welcome to the second session of the Centering Indigenous Knowledge webinar series, held on October 10, 2024. This session features presentations from Kiah Ontiveros of Chief Dull Knife College and Amilia Blackcrow (Amakbiya jusina wiya / Little Cloud Woman) of MAPS Media Institute. Presentation Titles:Kiah Ontiveros: Indigenous Food Sovereignty – To Promote Better Health for…

  • An Introduction to Collaborative Research on Tribal Lands | CIK 2024

    An Introduction to Collaborative Research on Tribal Lands | CIK 2024

    Welcome to the Centering Indigenous Knowledge webinar series! This session, held on October 3, 2024, features presentations by Adam Johnson and Dr. Antony ‘Tony’ Berthelote from Salish Kootenai College. Presentation Title:An Introduction to Collaborative Research on Tribal Lands In this session, our speakers explore collaborative research approaches that honor Indigenous knowledge systems while working on…