But for the last four years, Colby, one of the 2025 Featherstone Prize recipients, called MSU home—a place she says made her truly feel seen.
The Featherstone Prize is awarded to an MSU senior majoring in any discipline who exhibits an open, curious and creative approach to education and ideas, with demonstrated character and leadership, and a commitment to community service. For Colby, achieving these criteria came easily.
“A lot of the things they [selection committee] were noting, were things that I was passionate about, and I just wanted to do it to help others. I didn’t even know anyone was paying attention to a side passion project of mine,” Colby said.
By the time she graduated this spring 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology (honors on a pre-med track), Colby’s long list of accolades included team captain of MSU’s Women’s Varsity Rowing team, Cadet Wing Commander of MSU’s Air Force ROTC detachment, 2024-2025 Rhodes Scholarship finalist, MSU 2024 Scholar Athlete of the Year for rowing, Big 10 Conference Distinguished Scholar, and Sparrow Hospital Volunteer of the Quarter for 2025, to name only a handful.
Featherstone nominators described Colby as “a strong example of commitment to service,” with her success in leadership, service and ethical responsibility at the core of her selection as a Rhodes Scholar. It was an unexpected achievement for Colby, learning she was selected as one of MSU’s 2025 Featherstone Prize recipients, “MSU is a massive school, and our student body is so talented,” Colby said. “I’m incredibly grateful to not only be considered, but to be selected.”
In true commitment to the Featherstone ideals, Colby is clear-sighted on her path ahead and how she will serve others, “community service was big in my family growing up,” Colby explained. “My parents encouraged me to choose the way I want to serve others.”
In May she commissioned as an officer in the Air Force, where she is now a second lieutenant. This summer she is settling into life in Maryland where she will be starting this fall at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, the military’s medical school, to study emergency medicine. From there she aspires to serve as a combat physician, deploying with elite Air Force Special Operations Surgical Teams.
Colby says she will miss MSU, a place that provided her the space to achieve all she set out to do. “MSU was willing to let me kind of dip my toe in everything; it’s part of the reason I came here,” she said. “MSU not only was like, ‘yeah, sure, do what you want,’ but actively encouraged it.”
When she arrived on campus, she entered as an athlete, an Air Force ROTC cadet, on a pre-med track. Colby remarked that these experiences, taken together, were more powerful than they might have been separately, “I was so very thankful for MSU’s willingness to let me not only try three very different things, but then mix them together,” creating opportunities for concurrent learning.
For current and future Spartan’s, Colby’s advice is simple: have courage, be kind. “I think that phrase sums it up perfectly,” she said. “Have courage, be brave, put yourself out there and speak up for what’s right.”
Winners of the Featherstone Prize are provided a small grant to be used for their future growth and development, travel, graduate study or meditation. For Colby it will support resources for her education so she can be fully immersed in her studies and work giving back to the communities who shaped her.
The Richard Lee Featherstone Endowed Prize was created in 1986 by a group of MSU College of Education alumni to celebrate Dr. Richard Lee Featherstone’s life and contributions to scholarship, research and leadership.
By Kristina Beatty
Photos courtesy of Colby Orcutt
