Montana State’s Halie Smith ready to graduate, teach middle school science

BOZEMAN - Montana State University student Halie Smith learned in college that tough times can be an opportunity for growth.

Two summers ago, Smith broke her leg, severely limiting her ability to do things she enjoyed outdoors. In addition, she had failed organic chemistry - twice - and had also failed genetics, a subject she found really interesting. What's more, school was expensive - so expensive, in fact, that she was considering leaving, or at least taking a break.

But some new friends helped her through that time, reminding her that life is sometimes difficult and that it won't always be that way. Smith retook the classes she had failed and ultimately passed them, and her leg healed. Her challenges reminded Smith that there are what she calls many seasons in life, and that they frequently change. In hindsight, she said she's appreciative of the difficulties she experienced.

"I'm glad that I went through it because it really felt like that time was very specific in my growth," Smith said last week during an online call from New Zealand, where she was student teaching. "Because I'm able to use that challenge in the future to be like, 'Oh yeah, I can get through it. That's no problem.' And I'm really appreciative that I had that time because it built a good community around me and built really good friendships that I needed."

Now, Smith is back in the U.S. and just days away from crossing the stage during MSU's 143rd commencement ceremony to receive a bachelor's degree in secondary education. Her professors call her a leader in the classroom who truly embraced all that MSU's education department offered. Smith distinguished herself throughout her college career and earned an Outstanding Graduate Award for fall 2025 from the College of Education, Health and Human Development.

"While college is typically a busy time for all students, Halie Smith has embraced the term 'busy' and translated it into a tremendously diverse and impactful undergraduate career," said Joe Hicks, associate teaching professor in the Department of Education. "Starting at MSU in the fall of 2020, Halie immediately began making an impact both on campus and in the Bozeman community. She also quickly became a leader amongst her classmates."

Smith also demonstrated a commitment to excellence in rural teaching, Hicks said. She completed a Rural Teaching Discovery STEM Club experience at Pine Creek School in Park County and a rural teaching practicum experience in Glasgow.

Her student teaching experiences were similarly diverse: Smith spent nine weeks this fall in a sixth-grade science classroom in a public school in Bozeman before traveling to New Zealand for a five-week student teaching experience at a private school in a suburb of Auckland.

"Halie actively sought out a diversity of teaching experiences to become a better teacher for her future students," said Marcie Reuer, associate teaching professor in the Department of Education. "Her lessons are designed with intentionality to connect with every learner. She uses the inquiry learning approach so her students may connect their science content to their lived experiences."

Smith credits professors in MSU's Department of Education for exceptional guidance and expert support.

"The professors are committed to helping you and guiding you into building yourself up as a teacher," she said. "They help you get more and more out of every preservice teaching experience. And even though they can't really prepare you for every classroom, you also have a lot of support on the back end if you need it."

Beyond the classroom, Smith worked as a teacher's assistant at MSU's Child Development Center and volunteered twice internationally. Smith - who had never before traveled internationally and had, in fact, only been on a plane once before in her life - volunteered for two weeks in the summer of 2022 as a science teacher in Eswatini, Africa. Two summers later, she volunteered for eight weeks as an English as a second language teacher in Muren, Mongolia.

Smith grew up in Polson and is a descendant of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Attending a science, technology, engineering and math club at nearby Salish Kootenai College in high school helped develop her love of science. She also visited MSU with that group, where she was able to meet students and tour a research lab.

"We actually got to go in and take a look in the lab, and we got to see stem cells under a microscope," Smith recalled. "And I thought it was super cool that they were willing to share that kind of stuff with us."

It was an important moment that led Smith to apply to MSU. She enrolled at the university, planning to major in both music education and microbiology. During her sophomore year, she pivoted to science education.

"I have always loved any science teacher I've ever had, and they're always a little bit different," Smith said of that decision. "Science has always been a big passion of mine since high school, when I started that (STEM) program. And I also think it's fun to be that Miss Frizzle kind of teacher - you can be a little bit out there and nobody's going to question it when you're a science teacher."

Smith's classroom experiences have reinforced the idea that teaching can be fun, even a source of joy.

"I really love getting to know students and spending time with them," she said. "I love seeing them grow and go from not understanding something to having this 'aha' moment, where they're like, 'Oh my goodness, I get this.' And then they start to actually enjoy class."

She said she looks forward to introducing her future students to different cultures in a scientific context.

"Different cultures approach science differently, but science is all the same - like the findings are still basically the same," she said. "It's just they're approached differently over time."

She's also eager to implement science lessons in accordance with Montana's Indian Education for All mandate.

"I think there's so much that we can learn from different cultures, and we have different cultures within our state's border," Smith said. "I'm really happy that the state of Montana makes it a priority to make sure that Indian Education for All is included in the schools."

With MSU's commencement rapidly approaching, Smith is now looking ahead. She hopes to find a position in Montana as a middle school science teacher.

And, as she looks back on her college career, she said she's proud of what she has accomplished and who she has become.

"I'm proud of the way that I've grown from a kid who had never done anything outside of her comfort zone except for speech and debate to being someone who's willing to try new things and go explore new places," Smith said. "That would not have been possible my freshman year. And now being able to incorporate those experiences into my teaching has been really cool."