By Stephanie Brewster

You may know her as the tiny-but-mighty President of the Associated Students of Montana Tech, but Kerry Lombard goes above and beyond dutifully fulfilling her role in ASMT- she is someone who’s compassionate, passionate about caring for others, and engaged in giving students on Tech campus a voice.

Have you ever wondered how your club event was funded or how dining services were handled? Thursday mornings, Kerry is there with the ASMT Senate- and they’re the ones you can ask.

Kerry stated that ASMT is a place where students can feel free to vent.

“No issue is too small,” she said.

 Lombard added that she wants students to know that they can approach ASMT.

 “They have a student body that’s for them,” she said.

When asked what Kerry would like to see improved on campus, she simply put that she’d like to see students more involved and to know that they have a voice.

Now a senior in the Bachelors of Science and Nursing program at Tech and a full-time Registered Nurse at our local St. James Hospital, Kerry reminisced on her first few years at Tech, saying they were “hectic”. Things began to fall into place in her sophomore year.

 “I found out how to find time for things I enjoy and work,” Kerry said.

Apart from studies, Kerry likes to go hiking, ride bikes, and enjoys doing sunrise yoga.

“Sometimes I just find a rock and sit and watch it. It’s a good way to start your day,” she said.

When asked how she keeps studies, work, and life balanced, she responded that God keeps her motivated.

“I pray about everything. It just gets me through,” she said.  “I have a really good support system too, but I wouldn’t have any of that without God. I wish everybody had that.”

Kerry said that her biggest impact and support system has been her parents. Some words of wisdom that her mom passed on to her were to follow her dreams.

“She told me I could do it and told me not to let anyone tell me I couldn’t,” Kerry said in a recent interview.

If you were to ask her parents to describe Kerry, she replied that they’d probably say the same thing.

“They’d say I’ve always been into helping people,” Lombard smiled.
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For Kerry, it’s always been about caring about others and providing them with a platform to be heard.

by Emmy Keenan

Montana Tech hosted a night of laughs brought by comedian Adam Grabowski on Thursday, November 12 in the library auditorium. The 2015 Comic of the Year had the audience howling with laughter as he engaged students in the act, calling for participants and responses from the crowd that gave for a comical and interactive experience.

Adam's act consisted of a customized experience as he had the audience vote on various subjects to talk about, including guy versus girl behavior, board games, cats versus dogs, and clever graphs that had the crowd laughing with their friends and saying "That's so true!".

After the show, students gathered at the stage to chat, take a group photo with Adam, and buy merchandise.

For more Adam, visit AdamGrabowski.com.

Photos by Emmy Keenan

By Stephanie Brewster

He is the man, the myth, the RA- but this is only the tip of the iceberg for Ross Elliot Boggs. Between his two years being a Resident Assistant and being a junior in Environmental Engineering at Tech, Ross is also a pun master, Harry Potter fangirl, and avidly involved in various facets of Montana Tech. Besides intramural volleyball- in which he titled his team “How I Set Your Mother”- Ross also serves in the Tech Senate and Robotics Club, can be found roaming the Resident Halls playing jazz on his saxophone, and is in CRABS Rugby where he acquired the nickname “Boss Hog”.
When asked how he stays on top of the ball, he responded, “Odds are, you’ll fail at something- but it’s not the end of the world, so don’t give up.” Ross said this, giving words of wisdom to Tech freshman who were looking to get involved on campus, “Join a club for a sense of community.”
Transitioning into college, Ross stated that good friends and time helped him overcome the challenges he faced. The best advice he received was to find a study group. Even through the adversities thrown his way by the first few years of college, Ross found his confidence in another valuable piece of advice, “Happiness is decided on the inside. It’s not from factors on the outside.”
            Apart from his well-articulated and discerning words of wisdom, one of my personal favorite things about Ross Boggs is how he makes happiness a reality for all students. It is visible in his daily activities- like the way that he takes time for conversations with others. This is the driving force behind Ross’s success as an RA. He disclosed that the most rewarding part of being an RA is the connection he is able to form with other students. “You really get to know their likes and passions and you try to plan your activities around them. It’s a good chance to grow and push past personal boundaries.”
In the midst of a busy day working the Desk in Prospector Hall, planning events or making his resident hall feel more like home for the students, and going from one class to another, he engages others and genuinely cares about their interests. I cannot count the number of times that his inviting presence over supper at the SUB or a midnight conversation during a jam-packed week of testing have transformed the day of other students, including myself!
            Reaching out to others comes innately for Ross and he can best be described as warm-hearted and ambitious. Much like his Myer’s Briggs personality states, he’s a true ENFP- quick-witted, sympathetic, and inspiring. You can often find him getting lost in an editorial about building strong friendships or sharing stories of hiking adventures with a resident. Among the famous ENFPs are Mark Twain, Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Sandra Bullock, and Walt Disney- but you will soon find Ross at the top of the list. For all of this, we say, “You go Ross Boggs!”

By Molly O'Neill

            The time is here for turkeys warmed in the oven, football on the television, and a long weekend of not only stuffing the turkey, but stuffing our faces awaits. Traditionally, along with the combination of delicious food, friends, and family brings a time of reflection on what you’re grateful for and the people whose presence and or actions you are thankful for. More or less, one minute to state what you’re grateful doesn’t suffice.
            According to an article published in Psychology Today, ‘Gratitude requires an appreciation of the positive aspects of your situation. It is not a comparison.” 
            Whether you’re glad you made it to class promptly when you normally sleep-in, or work out at the gym after dusting off your sneakers.  Often times we catch ourselves comparing ourselves and our belongings to other. One might think they are not worthy enough and what they have is irrelevant.  The generation of iPhone you pocket or the clothing brand upon your chest should not be matter, but do we allow it to?
 
By adopting the attitude of gratitude we become healthier and happier, according to Psychology Today.
“Gratitude can have such a powerful impact on your life because it engages your brain in a virtuous cycle. Your brain only has so much power to focus its attention. It cannot easily focus on both positive and negative stimuli. It is like a small child: easily distracted.”
            Your brain loves to fall for the confirmation bias, that is it looks for things that prove what it already believes to be true. And the dopamine reinforces that as well. So once you start seeing things to be grateful for, your brain starts looking for more things to be grateful for. That’s how the virtuous cycle gets created.”
            After attending a medical mission in Guatemala my junior year of high school our congregation set up a standard clinic on a hilltop of an impoverished village. The natives lived without electricity, running water, and healthcare. Yet, when we walked door to door to inform them about the clinic they lit up. They smiled broken smiles. They invited us into their home with dirt floors and a curtain as a door.  They wanted to show off their shacks that were dirt floors and curtains hanging as doors. This one specific memory is engrained in my brain, a blind man that said even though he could not see today he thanks the Creator for the one day he will see again.
            Be thankful for the Ramen Noodles, next months water bill, and  your upcoming math exam because altogether you are one day closer to graduation. Be thankful for that friend you can call to pick you up when you’re down. Be grateful for this education despite the stress, but the opportunity. Be thankful for your health.
            I challenge you to compile a daily list of five things you are grateful for and reap the benefits.