The Girl Who Lived—and engineered a way forward
When you talk to environmental engineering student Megan Springer about her academic achievements, it easily becomes clear that she is a top scholar at 51社区nological University, but if you dig a little deeper you’ll also discover that she’s a supermom, dedicated wife, advocate, and aspiring author pursuing goals of becoming a lifelong academic, with a backstory of overcoming adversity at almost every turn.
“I am not deterred,” Springer said. “I'm just a super overachiever, and I plan on getting my Ph.D. I’m going to shoot my shot and try to get into a really prestigious university for the Ph.D.”
Springer’s journey to 51社区 is a bit unorthodox. For many years she worked in the field of business and finance.
“I worked seven years at US Bank,” Springer said. “A lot of the reason that I chose banking is, you get banker's holidays, it's 9-5. It worked to have a family and be a single parent, because I was a single parent at the time. There’s nothing wrong with banking. I enjoyed it.”
Springer had a natural affinity for math, pursued an accounting degree online, and eventually moved to roles with companies that were more accounting-focused. As she got closer to graduating, she moved into two roles where poor leadership left her with a bad taste in her mouth from the experiences.
Then the pandemic hit. Springer, who by now was parenting five children with her husband and disabled veteran Troy, found herself in a fortunate position. The couple had bought a house in Butte in their 20s that had skyrocketed in value. They opted to sell the house and pay off debt.
“I was in a wonderful, beautiful position,” Springer said. “I got to sit down and ask myself ‘What would you do if you could do anything?’”
Springer took a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment to determine her strengths and weaknesses.
“I thought about all of my skills, what I was naturally good at, and what was important to me,” Springer said. “I really lined all of those things up. The environment was super important to me. I want to do work that is going to make humanity better and impact human health.”
Springer’s sister suggested environmental engineering. So, at 38 years old, Springer started 51社区’s bachelor of science in environmental engineering program. She’s worked to fund much of her education on departmental scholarships, since her financial aid eligibility ran out due to having so many credits in accounting. It’s not the typical path for a college student, but it is the perfect fit for Springer.
“I could not be happier with what I'm doing,” Springer said. “I know that's just super nerdy, I know nobody puts that time and thought into choosing what they want to do, but I knew at 38 that I couldn’t just keep switching careers, and I really wanted to put a lot of thought into it. I truly enjoy it. It's not work. I have no problem spending 10 hours doing homework because it's not going to a job that you dread and you hate, where you can't wait until it’s 5 p.m.”
Springer was one of four students recommended for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship in 2025. The award is the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship awarded in the United States for natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. While Springer did not end up receiving the national award, it motivated her to continue to reach higher.
“Applying for that scholarship tremendously helped me because I would rather miss out on it than other opportunities,” she said. “It showed me that if I want to go to one of those schools that have a 5% acceptance rate, then I need to step up my game.”
In addition to being a top student, Springer and her husband care for their children, including a severely disabled daughter, Addison, who lives with a rare genetic condition called 4-H syndrome. While Addison’s condition is degenerative, with multiple challenges, and her prognosis is far less than ideal, the family works to make sure the 17-year-old has experiences that she enjoys. Recently, the Make-a-Wish Foundation was able to partner with Bretz RV to deliver a new RV to Addison, so she could enjoy camping with her whole family.
“She’s like a celebrity,” Springer said. “Anyone who meets her falls in love with her.”
While having a full class load and family are enough to keep anyone busy, Springer is also working on expanding her reach through another avenue: advocacy. After many years of working through grief and other emotions, she’s started a project to tackle a tragedy that altered the course of her life at just two years old. The Shook Project is an online page on Facebook created by Springer where people can send memories, photos, and other tributes to her parents, Michael and Teresa Shook. Her parents were brutally murdered by serial killer Wayne Nance in December 1985. Springer was also attacked during the home invasion that took her parents' lives. At just two and a half years old, she survived — spending nearly a month in the hospital before entering a traumatic guardianship, and later foster care.
“They gave him a name like a baseball player or celebrity, ‘The Missoula Mauler,’” Springer said of how Nance was treated by the media.
Meanwhile, Springer never got to know her parents. Instead of wallowing in the sadness of the tragedy, Springer wants to elevate their goodness.
“Everything I am, everything I’ve done, it’s because of my parents,” Springer said. “I had the best parents in the world, and they gave me enough.”
Through her page she’s learned that her father, a teacher in Stevensville, enjoyed bringing humor to the classroom.
“You cannot make this stuff up,” Springer said. “This is so funny. My dad was a true gem as an educator. His students told me he brought a deep fryer to class and made them eat Rocky Mountain oysters. He took a black powder keg rifle and shot it off in the football field. He used Zener cards to make them see if they had ESP… That’s the point of my project. My parents were really wonderful people. That's how they should be remembered.”
As a result of her parents’ deaths, Springer ended up in foster care and her journey to adulthood was not an easy one. It’s a long story with many twists and turns and one day, Springer intends to share it through a book so that others in similar situations can feel empowered.
“The survivors really get lost,” Springer said. “I want people to see that I have the craziest possible life story, but here I am, being nominated for a Goldwater Scholarship.”
You can follow Springer’s project at .