Poplar’s Baker Among Hilleman Scholars
Sixty-five high school graduates from across Montana have been selected for their effort and potential as the ninth class of Montana State University’s Hilleman Scholars Program.
Each year, MSU Hilleman Scholars are chosen based on personal essays, nomination letters, grades and financial need. But paramount in the selection process is evidence of significant academic achievement, leadership and career potential.
The group includes Gaberiella Baker of Poplar.
“These bright students come from all across our beautiful state to be prepared to meet the future, to meet new people, to be exposed to new ideas and to be challenged,” said MSU President Waded Cruzado. “I know these scholars will make MSU, their communities and their families proud.”
MSU Hilleman Scholars are eligible for up to $6,500 in academic support for their first year and $4,000 per year thereafter. If they make satisfactory academic progress and demonstrate exemplary commitment to the program in their first three years, scholars may become eligible for an additional $3,000 at the end of their junior year to apply toward a study abroad experience. Hilleman Scholars are expected to graduate in four years.
The program is named after MSU graduate Maurice Hilleman, who was born on a farm near Miles City in 1919. He was raised by an uncle and aunt and, as a child, helped the household make ends meet by raising chickens. Hilleman had planned to work at a local department store, but a relative told him that MSU — then Montana State College — offered scholarships. Hilleman applied, won a scholarship and graduated in 1941.
Over the next 43 years, Hilleman became the world’s leading vaccinologist, developing more than 40 important vaccines for human and animal health. Of the 14 vaccines commonly given to children, Hilleman developed nine. Among them are vaccines for measles, mumps, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningitis and pneumonia. He spent most of his career at Merck & Co., which recently estimated that his vaccines have been given to more than 750 million people worldwide.
When Hilleman died in 2005, scientists quoted in his New York Times obituary credited him with saving more lives than any other person in the 20th century. In honor of Hilleman’s legacy, MSU started the Hilleman Scholars Program for Montana residents in 2016.
Each year, the new Hilleman Scholars complete a month-long Summer Success Academy on campus. The intensive program, administered through MSU’s Allen Yarnell Center for Student Success, is designed to boost college-level math, writing and critical thinking skills and to equip students with effective learning strategies for the coming academic year.
“We prepare our incoming Hilleman Scholars to become tomorrow’s leaders to take on some of Montana’s greatest challenges,” said Carina Beck, vice provost at the AYCSS. “These students have already demonstrated tenacity and a mindful understanding of Dr. Hilleman’s legacy, and we are honored to be part of their educational journey.”
Academic support continues for Hilleman Scholars throughout their years at MSU, including tutoring, mentoring, advising and more. By their third year, the scholars are expected to pass this support on by serving as mentors and tutors to new Hilleman Scholars.
During the school year, Hilleman Scholars must engage in 10 hours per week of activities designed to prepare them to be a successful student, intern or employee. The focus of these experiences shifts each year as the students progress through college.
This year’s group of 65 Hilleman Scholars come from 41 communities across Montana, including many small towns. Twenty-one of the students are first-generation students, 21 are underrepresented students, and all have critical financial need.
