TRHLP Spotlight: Director Michelle Orton Looks Ahead to an Exciting Second Year

This time last year, Michelle Orton was putting the final touches on her new office on the fourth floor of Lowman Walton, the official headquarters of the Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program (TRHLP). Now, heading into her second year as the program director, Orton reflects on the changes made and the opportunities still to come. 

Drawn to the program by its mission of empowering high-achieving students with real-world leadership and service experience, Orton’s goal is to ensure the students “leave with that understanding that leadership is so many more things than just a title.” Over the past year, she has reduced the credit load of the leadership minor from 33 to 21 credits and strengthened partnerships with five local nonprofit organizations (Best Friends Mentoring, Dickinson Chamber of Commerce, Southwestern Art Gallery and Science Center, ABLE, and Hawks Point, to align student service hours more closely with community needs. 

Mentorship within the program has also grown. “We now have 10 upperclassman mentors paired with first-year students,” Orton said, intended to help younger scholars manage their workload. Those 10 mentors report to the Student Assistant Directors, who work closely with Director Orton daily to get all 82 TRHLP students through each year successfully. The weekly “Coffee and Friends” event helps her stay connected with students and reinforce

her open-door policy. 

TRHLP Student Assistant Director Natile Lile summed up Orton’s immediate impact to the program: "Michelle stepped into a program in need of direction last year and has since molded it into a group of truly remarkable students. She has been the calm in the storm, handling everything the TRHLP throws at her with grace and clarity... I cannot wait to continue growing and learning from her this year, and I hope the rest of the scholars can do the same!" 

While no new programs are being introduced this year, the existing lineup has proven its worth for building leadership skills for TRHLP students. Boo Hawks brings the students together in large numbers, requiring high levels of participation and teamwork. During Yuletyme, TRHLP students are intentionally paired with their donors. This face-to-face interaction fosters appreciation and connection, reinforcing the purpose behind the scholarship support. In the spring, students take pride in the DSU campus with their annual DSU Campus Clean-Up Day.  

What’s most surprising to Orton is how TRHLP students manage to balance it all year after year.  It “blows my mind,” she said, seeing students handling such intense schedules with so much dedication. Looking ahead, Orton hopes to raise the program’s profile statewide and eventually nationwide through expanded travel opportunities, stronger ties with other leadership programs, and highlighting the program's unique opportunities for students, such as the TR Center, the upcoming presidential library, and the incredible support of the Dickinson community. 

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Written by Sarah Griffis – DSU HF Content Writer 

About the TRHLP 

The Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program is a student-driven honors program at DSU with a focus on leadership and service within the Dickinson community. TRHLP students earn a leadership minor and participate in service-learning opportunities on campus and in the community.