FVCC student athlete honored for service in community

Flathead Valley Community College student Jacob Steinle was honored on Saturday with the Montana Athletes in Service Award.

The award, created by Montana Campus Compact, was presented during the 121st Brawl of the Wild Cat/Griz game at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.

As captain of the FVCC logger sports team, Steinle has been an active member of the community and leader of the team during his time at the college. Steinle is from Creston and attended home school until starting at FVCC.

Ann Beall, the advisor to the logger sports team, nominated Steinle for the award. “Jacob has had a very positive impact here on campus as well as in the community,” Beall said. “He understands the responsibility of volunteering and is an excellent student-athlete. Whether on campus, in the community, or with the logger sports team, he has had (and continues to have) a positive influence on the organizations and individuals he encounters.”

Steinle volunteers extensively in the local area with Sparrows Nest of Northwest Montana, Orphans Life Line, Immanuel Lutheran Communities, Flathead Valley Food Bank, Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry, and The HEART Locker.

“I enjoy lending a hand in feeding the hungry, clothing the cold, and caring for others,” says Steinle. “Many times, I have been asked to sort through clothes at the Veterans food pantry, pack and sort meals and treats for the food bank, and even help Orphan’s Life Line with landscaping.”

He estimates he volunteers about 16 to 24 hours per month.

Starting his education at FVCC in 2018 as a Running Start dual enrollment student, Steinle began full time at the college as a freshman in 2019 and earned an associate of applied sciences in natural resources conservation and management. He was inspired by faculty members Christina Relyea and Tim Eichner, whom he considers friends now, to consider a four-year degree. He identified his transfer program of choice at FVCC and is now completing his associate of science with a focus in forestry with the intent to transfer to the University of Montana School of Forestry.

Steinle credits his family and his strong faith for inspiring him to help others. He explains that his faith has been his most worthwhile investment. He shared that the faculty and support available on campus have also had a major impact on his success and desire to keep learning.

Beall ties it all together in her nomination by saying, “I am proud to know Jacob, and to have him represent our team and FVCC as a Montana Athletes in Service Award winner.”