"What you’re trying to do here is impossible."
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"What you’re trying to do here is impossible."
Stephanie had the honor of speaking at Montana State University’s Freshman Convocation. Read an exclusive snippet of her speech!
Hello Friends,
This week, Stephanie had the honor of speaking at Montana State University’s Freshman Convocation. She walked in with the Deans, dressed in their robes, and President Cruzado introduced her. Afterward, President Cruzado gave Stephanie a hug, and said "Your speech was beautiful. They stood up to clap for you. They don't usually do that." This was right after she declared on stage that Stephanie was an honorary bobcat. It was an incredible event!
In her speech, Stephanie spoke openly and honestly about her nontraditional college experience. Here is a newsletter exclusive snippet of what she said to MSU’s Freshman class:
“Like many of you, this is my first convocation. (I actually had to google what it was.) There wasn’t an official beginning like this to my college career. I didn’t have what most think of as a ‘traditional’ college experience. When I signed up for classes at the nearest community college in my late 20s, I was desperate to hide the fact that I was a single mom who lived in transitional housing with my daughter. Especially that we had just moved into that place after living in a homeless shelter…
When I was 15, I approached my dad with an information packet to a University, apprehensive about telling him that I wanted to apply. He took one look at the thick brochure and asked me how I planned to pay for it. I of course didn’t have an answer, and he didn’t offer one, so I never brought it up again.
I eventually figured it out on my own, I guess. I had to. But then in my second year at community college, I met with an advisor to go over my fall schedule. After I admitted to him that I was a single mom who worked as a housecleaner, his eyes got wide and he said ‘What you’re trying to do here is impossible.’
After that meeting, I walked to the parking lot and sat in my car for a long time. I thought about how many times that it had felt impossible, and I knew there would be more. There were a lot of times I felt like I didn’t belong there, or that I might not make it through to the end.
I’m here to personally tell you what I desperately needed to hear at that time: your presence here is not just valuable, but vital. Without your attendance, this institution could not exist. More than that, you are entitled to an education. No matter what your background is, or how you got yourself to the point of sitting in that chair, you deserve to be here.”
You can hear more about Stephanie’s college experience in her forthcoming book CLASS, available for preorder now at all major bookstores!
XOXO
Team Stephanie
The Bounty of the Bridgers Campus Food Pantry provides supplemental and emergency food assistance to students, faculty, staff, and family members of the MSU community at no cost. The food pantry started as an initiative led by Montana State University students in 2017, and has since grown to a full program housed within the Office of Health Advancement under Univeristy Health Partners. Along with the food pantry, the Bounty of the Bridgers program now also supports the Grab 'N Go Snack Program which provides snacks in offices around campus so a hungry student is always near a free emergency food source.
Monetary donations are used to purchase food and household items for the food pantry, provide food for our campus-wide Grab 'N Go Snack program, and fund Food Security Scholarships for students who show high food insecurity.
They are also eager to accept all shelf-stable, unexpired, unopened food you would like to donate. All donations are appreciated, but things we are especially in need of right now include:
Non-dairy, shelf-stable milk
Cooking oil
Household Items
Along with food, household items are greatly appreciated by the campus community that our pantry serves. Items that are especially appreciated are:
Menstrual Products
Laundry Detergent
Toothbrushes
Paper Towels
Diapers
Baby Wipes
Cleaning Products
For information about the Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry or related programs, please email Margaret Davies at margaret.davies@montana.edu or call 406-994-4100.
That’s all for this week, folks! Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you this time next week.