College junior given ANAVICUS scholarship

Natalie Baca, a junior at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., received the Reverend Frank L. Harrington Scholarship from the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada United States unit at The American Legion's 50th Washington Conference on March 1. The $1,000 award, first given by ANAVICUS in 1987, is for an outstanding sophomore or junior student at Carroll College.

"I am honored by this award," Baca told ANAVICUS members at their traditional Monday breakfast meeting during the Washington Conference. "It is more than a monetary award. It is about making dreams come true."

Baca is an active member of the Carroll College community. Since her freshman year, she has been a member of the Student Ambassadors, a selective group of student volunteers who welcome prospective students to campus and give campus tours. She's worked as a freshmen move-in volunteer, helping welcome new students to campus, and has also served as a core leader for new student orientation.

Additionally, she has been involved in Carroll's faith community, as a Eucharistic minister, by attending spiritual retreats. She has also been a group leader in "Search" - the largest and longest running spiritual retreat on campus.

Baca has also been involved in student government in her time at Carroll. She served as a house representative for the Student Ambassadors and this year has been elected to serve as a junior class senator.

This year, Baca is showing leadership in the classroom as a Spanish lab coordinator.

ANAVICUS is the United States unit of the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada, an association originally chartered by Queen Victoria as a branch of the Army and Navy Veterans of England. Since 1917 ANAVIC has been independent. ANAVIC bestowed a charter to ANAVICUS in 1953. Life memberships for American Legion members in the United States unit of ANAVIC now number approximately 1,200.

ANAVICUS funds 10 memorials or scholarships, including the Reverend Frank L. Harrington Scholarship.