Glacier Country News

Courtney Bentz has been named the University of Montana's first Luce Scholar, a prestigious fellowship that offers emerging leaders professional experiences in Asia. Bentz, originally from Billings and a UM alumna, works as a program coordinator with the TRIO Office on campus. Her role involves promoting scholarship opportunities and academic workshops for low-income, first-generation, and disabled college students.

Bentz expressed her enthusiasm for working at the college level after being a TRIO student herself throughout public school. She stated, "But my overall goal is to work for the State Department and work in international relations, and that’s a little bit difficult to do in Montana."

The Luce Scholars program is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, established by Henry R. Luce in 1974. Over 800 individuals have completed this yearlong immersion fellowship aimed at strengthening cross-border relationships.

Kylla Benes, director of UM’s Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships, remarked on Bentz's achievement: “We are excited and proud to have Courtney as UM’s first Luce Scholar. Her achievement exemplifies the amazing opportunities at UM that propel our students to success.”

Bentz's interest in foreign languages began with her family history; her great grandparents immigrated from rural Russian-occupied territories in Europe. Reflecting on her upbringing, she said she was saddened by not having the opportunity to learn these languages from her family.

Bentz graduated from UM in 2020 with a degree in Russian and a certificate in global studies. She noted how exploring language helped her understand cultures better: “So much of culture and history is built into a language.”

Her past accolades include studying in Kyrgyzstan as a Gilman Scholar and returning there on a Fulbright scholarship to teach English. She also earned two Critical Language Scholarships for Russian along with supplementary awards for Ukrainian.

Benes highlighted Bentz's qualifications: “These experiences...gave her the academic knowledge and leadership experience that stood out on the national level.” Bentz will begin orientation for the program in Singapore before traveling to her host country for intensive language training.