Montana State student garners awards for community service and saving a student organization

BOZEMAN - Kollen Pipinich keeps his schedule full. It's a delicate balance, he said. As a full-time student at Montana State University, he spends much of his day in classes. As a mechanical engineering student, he spends a great deal of time studying. As a helper by nature, Pipinich has volunteered hundreds of hours to help area high school students learn some of the principles of engineering. And, as a leader, the Belgrade native recently saved a student service organization from impending collapse.

A senior minoring in mechatronics, Pipinich chose to attend MSU because the state's land-grant institution offered the academic programs he wanted.

"MSU is the Goldilocks college for me," he said, "because it had my major, it is affordable and, in truth, I could do exactly what I want to do and be successful without going out of state and spending way too much money."

Pipinich was recently recognized with two awards: the Montana Student Volunteer award from the Montana Governor's Office of Community Service and the Student Organization Leader of the Year as part of MSU's Day of Student Recognition.

Over three years, Pipinich has contributed more than 500 hours of service, including 440 hours mentoring local youth.

"The M&IE department is delighted to recognize Kollen's exceptional community service achievement," said Dilpreet Bajwa, head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. "His dedication to improving the lives and guidance of others is a perfect example of exemplary leadership and compassion that exemplify the highest values of citizenship and service."

Pipinich mentors students at his alma mater, Belgrade High School, in engineering principles by helping them prepare for the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics program.

"This helps high school students enter into a STEM field through the aspect of robotics," Pipinich said. "Each year they have a different competition that the team needs to build a robot around."

STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. Pipinich said he volunteers as many as 20 hours per week during the busiest times when the students are prepping for competition. As a high school student, he twice competed in the state finals, hosted annually by MSU's engineering college.

"It helps me to know that I'm understanding the engineering skills that I'm learning in the classroom, because I help the students apply them to a project," he said. "I really love doing that, because it helps these students learn these fundamentals before they go into college."

Pipinich was also recognized by MSU for his success in saving the campus Circle K International service organization, which is part of the Kiwanis organization, when he found himself as one of only two members. He spent the summer getting the student service organization back on track.

Circle K community service projects include tree plantings on campus, conducting food drives and undertaking projects benefiting the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter and HRDC programs.

"[Kollen] exemplifies the very best of service and community engagement at Montana State University," said Audrey Capp, a communications and marketing strategist at MSU and staff adviser of the Circle K International's MSU chapter. "He demonstrates exceptional dedication toward serving his community both on and off campus."

Pipinich was then president of the chapter.

"We were able to get a group of really dedicated students that helped bring it back up and, once we got into spring semester, we had consistency," he said. "We had gotten the club to where we're at now - it's back on."

Pipinich, who has several scholarships and carries a 3.7 GPA, is a first-generation college student. This means neither of his parents hold a college degree. It also means there could be gaps in his educational support system.

"It's definitely been a challenge, because I don't have any of that basis that a lot of other students may have," he said. "[Some parents have the experience] to help set expectations of college since they've been through it. I just went in blind where every day is a learning process, especially for the first two years. MSU's resources have been very helpful with it."

This is a gap that MSU addresses through programs to meet the needs of first-generation students, among others. They include programs such as MSU's TRIO Student Support Services, which serves low-income, first-generation or students with disabilities.

"MSU's Math and Stat Center and other campus resources have been very helpful," Pipinich added. "But the TRIO office has been especially helpful."

In addition to providing study space, tutoring, as well as career counseling, TRIO staff members and student mentors are also adept at directing students to other campus resources with specialized expertise.

"We focus on creating a community of leaders and learners while realizing campus and academia can be difficult to navigate," said Julian Collins, director of MSU's TRIO.

TRIO offers a suite of services that meet students where they need help, he said. These services include one-on-one advising and mentorship; a study space with a library, computer, supplies and free printing; and financial aid and scholarship assistance.

The TRIO team also lends an ear.

"I have somebody to talk to whenever I have a struggle," Pipinich said. "They've given me a lot of interpersonal help."

Upon graduation in spring of 2028, Pipinich plans to seek a job in industry. Once he's gained enough experience, he hopes to work in the automotive industry as a safety engineer where he could work to improve crash safety.