Past Recipients of the President Royce Engstrom Endowed Prize in University Citizenship
2023 | Julia Cummings, B.A. '12
Julia Cummings is a Senior Manager of Global Executive Programs at Zscaler, a leading cloud security company based out of Silicon Valley. Since graduating from UM in 2012, she’s spent her career working to create and develop content and community in the tech sector. Julia is also a mom to five children and is passionate about helping other working parents find the balance between career and family.
2022 | Wendi Fawns, M.A. '14
Wendi Fawns grew up around a college campus as a result of her parents’ jobs, and she’s a big proponent of the benefits of higher education. “I think college is one of the best places for young adults to learn to be young adults,” said Fawns. Fawns is the Executive Director of Valley Oak Education Resource Center, which provides support to students in the form of workshops, academic coaching and scholarship assistance. After a career in IT, she became involved in education while working to improve school district resources for her daughter after she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Fawns saw an opportunity to grow student engagement and college readiness, and committed her career to helping students reach their full potential.
Fawns received her Master’s in Educational Leadership from UM in 2014. The coursework provided her with knowledge she couldn’t wait to put into practice. “Every single class I took, from the books I read to the exercises they gave, were incredibly impactful going forward in all the positions I’ve had,” she said.
Fawns believes it’s an exciting time for education in Montana, and is looking forward to introducing more high school students to the possibility of higher education. Witnessing the resiliency of students working through challenges to achieve their goals is a highlight of Fawns’ career. She sees University alumni playing a key role in encouraging more students to pursue a degree. “Alumni have the opportunity to talk about their careers, talk about what they’ve done with their education,” she said. “They can share that experience with them and how the content of the classes relates to that field, because alumni are already in that job, they’re in that field”.