Roberge Receives Scholarship for Civic Engagement

Kaia Roberge out Hiking

Carroll College student Kaia Roberge was recently awarded a Civic Engagement Scholarship by the Montana Campus Compact for her tireless volunteer work with the Friendship Center in Helena, Mont. She was one of six Montana college students to receive this scholarship.

“Volunteering with the Friendship Center is an eye-opening experience that has changed the way that I see our world and interact with those who are struggling. I am so thankful for the financial assistance Campus Compact has provided for me, allowing me to continue serving while taking away some of the financial struggles of a college education,” said Roberge.

A sophomore sociology major from Frenchtown, Mont., Roberge volunteers many hours each month at the Friendship Center, a women’s shelter and resource center for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in Helena. After attending a 70-hour training to be a victim’s advocate, Roberge volunteers for 65-hour on-call shifts on the hotline. As the first person an assault victim speaks to, she listens and empowers them to make the best decisions regarding the next steps. Her volunteer work ranges from answering the hotline to accompanying rape victims to the hospital, or locating emergency housing at all hours of the day and night.

Launched in the fall of 2015, Montana Campus Compact’s (MTCC) Civic Engagement Scholarship honors the contributions college students make to community life in Montana and beyond. These $1,000 scholarships utilize funds raised at the Garden City Triathlon, and are matched by MTCC affiliate institutions. Awarded to current students who have completed at least one year of college at an MTCC affiliate campus in good standing, the scholarship recognizes students who have completed a significant community-based service effort, while pursuing a degree or certificate. Montana Campus Compact is a seventeen-campus higher education network which promotes civic and social responsibility in higher education.