Kori Dyer, Montana Tech

Kori Dyer, a Civil Engineering Technology major, exemplifies what it means to engineer. Engineering is the practical application of science, economic and social information to improve something, and Kori’s career as a student at Montana Tech is a great example of where practical applications have brought about positive social change. As a student worker, Kori has taken over 3,000 middle school students a year on field trips through environmentally damaged areas and taught them how the use of good science and technology can protect and reclaim ecosystems. She is a non-traditional student whose zest for life, empathic ear, and charismatic personality has made her an instant role model to her peers. As the Student Leadership Committee President, Kori has built an excitement within the student body and directed that momentum to serve the youth of the community. She engages her peers in service by organizing projects such as youth booths at local festivals, blood drives and fundraising for charities. Kori has made sure every day of her student life has been a balance of high academic standards and genuine service to improve the community. 
-Chancellor Don Blackketter  

It has been a dream of mine to earn a college degree since I was young. Little did I know that college had so much more to offer than the course work itself? I have found a home in serving as Student Leadership Committee President where I represent the student body of the Highlands College, more importantly the large population of nontraditional students like myself. It has taken a tremendous amount of hard work to plan and organize student events and community service events but the reward is more than worth the time. I have had the pleasure to engage my peers in projects that benefit the youth of my hometown. My work with Clark Fork Watershed Education Program has been instrumental in my desire to teach middle-school students from the surrounding area the importance of environmental stewardship. It has also opened an avenue for me to declare my major in Civil Engineering Technologies where I hope to continue to use science to effect environmental and social change in the city that I hold dear.  
-Kori Dyer