The University of Montana Foundation

If it sounds like Michelle is passionate about studying abroad, it’s because she already speaks from experience. Her desire to make a difference on a world stage was fueled by the opportunity to study in France in 2010. “I got on a plane in Montana and got off all alone in Marseille, France, beginning what was to be the best year of my life. My experiences in France gave me a new kind of education, a real-world kind of education where I was the minority. Studying in France made my textbooks come alive right before my eyes.”

An important part of what made it all possible was the support of private donations. “First of all,” Michelle says, “I would like to thank all of those donors who give to the University, and to tell them how this opportunity has changed my life. College, in theory, prepares you for reality, but France made this preparation tangible.”

It also made Michelle’s goals for the future tangible: “I will never forget the effect my first French teacher had on me, and I believe that if I can share my passion for learning other languages and experiencing other cultures by sharing my own, I could have the power to potentially inspire someone else to learn English, study in America, travel the world, and one day make a difference in it.”

You can help make a difference for students like Michelle—and make a difference for the people whose lives they impact—by making a donation to the Excellence Fund today.