Bobcat Academic Story: Ti Donaldson

Ti Donaldson's start at Montana State has been surprisingly smooth. A lot of freshmen can struggle during their first semester in college, transitioning from a different high school lifestyle. Student-athletes have more on their plates than the average student, requiring an extra level of focus during their transition to college.

Donaldson, a freshman member of the MSU men's Nordic ski team, has had a focused start to his academic and athletic career. At West Valley High School, Donaldson stuck to a fairly strict schedule. It paid off for his first semester at MSU.

"(College) was definitely different," Donaldson said. "But, in high school I had a pretty rigorous schedule as well, with classes and then going straight to skiing every day. The main difference is figuring out how to fit in the other important parts besides sports and skiing. Trying to figure out when I'm going to do random errands and stuff like that has been my biggest learning curve. Other than that, it's gone surprisingly well fitting in here."

The freshman from Fairbanks, Alaska, ended up at MSU due to a couple of Alaskan connections and his desire to study at a top engineering school. Majoring in environmental engineering, Donaldson has always been drawn to science and math.

The Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering at MSU is a major reason MSU is a desirable school for engineering passions. The college has earned accreditation for eight different engineering options.

He cited his relationships with head Nordic coach Matthew Johnson and his teammate Emma Tarbath as influential. Tarbath and Johnson are both Alaska natives that relayed their experiences at MSU to Donaldson, helping him make a college decision.

Donaldson has always been interested in engineering. His brother studies electrical engineering while he's focusing more on the environmental impact. One of his motivations for choosing the environmental option is potentially working with water resource management. He has experience engineering outdoors from a young age.

"In high school I took a couple intro to engineering classes, those were always interesting," Donaldson said. "As a kid, I'd always build trails for biking and everything. That sort of drew me into the environmental realm of engineering."

Donaldson's interests in academics as well as athletics has led him to a rewarding start to his college career. He earned a place on the President's list for his success in the classroom, while he's become a key member of the ski team.

In MSU's last meet, the University of New Mexico Invitational, Donaldson had his best finish of his young career. He finished third in the men's 5-kilometer, his first trip to the podium.

"For me, it's rewarding and fulfilling to have – for lack of a better term – 'gains' being made from the work I put into things," Donaldson said. "Being in the fields I'm in, the amount of work you put in is pretty highly correlated with what you get out of it. That's kind of where I get my work ethic from."

Donaldson's work ethic is proving he has what it takes to excel in the classroom and on the cross country trails. He has high hopes for his academic career and the rest of the ski season.

"We'll see if I can make (the NCAA Championships)," Donaldson said. "Our team is pretty tight and they only take three guys so, we'll see if I can make it. If I go to NCAAs I'll be shooting for top 15 but, it's hard to say as a freshman. The best I can do is predict and set something high."

Donaldson and the rest of the Montana State Nordic ski team return to Donaldson's home state for their next meet. The team travels to Kincaid Park, Alaska, to take part in the Alaska Anchorage Invitational on Feb. 17.

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Ti Donaldson

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