Two University of Montana students have awarded nationally known scholarships designed to support female students who are making significant contributions to their fields of study and communities.
Angela Mishler, a Park Rapids, Minnesota, college student, received the Jeannette Rankin Emerge Grant. The Emerge Grant assists women and nonbinary students from Montana and Georgia who are dedicated to achieving their educational and career goals while also making a positive effect on their families and communities. The Jeanette Rankin Foundation’s Scholar, Emerge, and Montana Tribal College Scholar Grants strive to “transform futures through education.”
Adyasha Nayak, a graduate student from Sambalpur in the Indian state of Odisha, was awarded the Philanthropic Educational Organization International Peace Scholarship. The PEO is a 150-year-old “sisterhood of women helping women reach for the stars” through five distinct financial programs. The International Peace Scholarship assists international women graduate students pursuing degrees in the United States or Canada.
Mishler, who is studying at both Missoula College and the University of Montana, is pursuing certification in certified addiction therapy as well as a minor in chemical addiction studies. She also wants to become a registered clinical social worker so she can help those who have both mental health and addiction issues.
Mishler was inspired to become a psychotherapist after seeing family members struggle with mental health difficulties and seeking therapy herself. She has prior experience in this profession, having worked at the Western Montana Mental Health Center. Mishler has two daughters of her own.
“Getting the courage to go back to school at an older age is a huge accomplishment for me, and I am equally proud of being a mother, a full-time student and a positive contributor to this society that I live in,” Mishler said.
Nayak is a doctorate student in the Forest and Conservation Sciences department at the University of Michigan, focusing on social science-based conservation. Nayak was encouraged to explore science by her childhood travels to remote locations, as well as her parents’ passion of learning and encouragement to be independent. She is also an artist who has utilized her skills to help conservation efforts in India. Nayak aspires to be a conservationist specializing in the cultural preservation of traditional ecological techniques. Nayak intends to return to India after finishing her studies.
“I want to promote equitable resource use around protected wilderness areas; generate sustainable livelihood streams, particularly for rural women; and assist wildlife managers in aligning their objectives with traditional socio-ecological systems,” said Nayak.
Both Mishler and Nayak worked with UM’s Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships to complete their applications.
“Both scholars have already made a difference in their communities and fields,” said Dr. Kylla Benes, director of the office. “They are prime examples of how UM students use their education to make real, positive impacts in the world and scholarship foundations recognize this potential.”
Mishler is UM’s fifth Jeannette Rankin Scholar, and Nayak is UM’s fourth PEO International Peace Scholarship awardee.