HELENA, MT – Carroll College first-year student Morgan Bisel, from Hamilton, Mont., has been named one of only 161 students nationwide to receive the U.S. Presidential Scholar Award, one of the nation’s most prestigious academic honors. Bisel is one of just three Montana students recognized this year.
The award recognizes not only academic excellence but also leadership and service. For Bisel, both have been defining parts of her life since middle school, when she launched her nonprofit, Morgan’s Helping Hands. What began as a seventh-grade project knitting scarves and hats for people experiencing homelessness has grown into a community-wide initiative that has provided thousands of clothing items and food donations to shelters in Montana and beyond. “I’ve always had a heart for service,” said Bisel. “Being the good difference and the good in the world is so much more rewarding than any title.” Over the years, her project has recruited classmates, teachers, and community members to collect clothing and food donations, even requiring her father’s workshop to serve as an impromptu warehouse when donations outgrew their space. Her dedication to service, paired with academic achievement as a valedictorian and state FFA officer, helped elevate her to being a finalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholar Award.
While the Presidential Scholar designation underscores her exceptional achievements, Bisel’s college decision is equally remarkable. Despite earning full ride offers to highly selective colleges such as Harvard and Bowdoin, she chose Carroll College. “I ultimately chose Carroll because of its Elementary Education program,” she explained. “I plan to teach in rural Montana, and Carroll will give me the most relevant preparation for my future classroom.” As a newly elected Montana FFA state officer, staying in-state also allows her to fulfill her leadership role, traveling to small communities across Montana to lead workshops and encourage other students.
Also important, Bisel said, is Carroll’s faith-centered, close-knit environment. As a Christian, although not Catholic, she said she feels supported in her faith. “I feel as though I’m able to explore my faith and be more open about it here,” she said. “It already feels like a community where people know and support each other.” And even though she turned down full-ride offers elsewhere, Bisel will still graduate debt-free thanks to Carroll’s generous financial aid and scholarships combined with additional awards from her community and the state.
In the next several weeks, Bisel will begin her first field experience in a Helena fifth-grade classroom, putting her passion for teaching into practice. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree after graduation and return to teach in a rural Montana community, helping to expand opportunities for students in places where resources are often more limited. Reflecting on her journey, she said she is most proud of the lives she has touched. “My influence has extended beyond Montana to shelters in Portland and Seattle,” Bisel said. “That’s been my biggest accomplishment – knowing I’ve been able to make a difference.”
We congratulate Morgan on her extraordinary accomplishments and are thrilled to welcome her to Carroll College. Her story is a powerful reminder of the values at the heart of Carroll: academic excellence, lives of service, and faith lived in community. When faced with the choice of where to pursue her education, we are honored that she chose Carroll College above all others. We look forward to all she will contribute to our community and the broader world in the years ahead.
KTVH/MTN News did a wonderful news story on Morgan which can be viewed here: Carroll student receives Presidential Scholar Award.