For the second summer in a row, Montana State University student Lukas Kosel has been selected to participate in a cultural exchange program in China through the Max S. Baucus Institute.
The junior from the small town of Roberts, who is majoring in English and history in the College of Letters and Science, is one of 16 MSU students chosen for summer internships arranged by the institute. Of those, Kosel and four others are taking part in the Climate Scholars program, which places undergraduate and graduate students with organizations to work on climate and environmental issues as paid interns.
At Shanghai Disneyland, Kosel will use the writing and communication skills he has honed in MSU’s Department of English to bring awareness to the park’s sustainability initiatives, including a 100-acre lake at the park where representatives of local organizations learn about ecology.
Kosel also visited Shanghai last summer as a participant in a Baucus Institute China Study Abroad program, where he began studying Chinese while learning about international environment, sustainability and climate topics.
As an intern, Kosel said he is looking forward to being productive and helping foster greater understanding of international sustainability issues.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding on both sides between American people and Chinese people due to politics,” said Kosel. “I prefer to see things for myself as opposed to believing what politicians say. It helps with general understanding to allow people to see for themselves what other places are like, both inside our own country and elsewhere.”
It’s a fitting assignment for a student who enjoys studying rhetoric and the role of language in shaping cultures, according to MSU professor of English Kirk Branch. After taking Branch’s African American rhetorics course, Kosel began a research project, supported by MSU’s Undergraduate Scholars Program, to discern the impact of the concept of “miscegenation” on the culture of the Rocky Mountain region in the 20th century. He presented the results in April at both the MSU Student Research Celebration and the 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research.
“Lukas is interested in ideas and pursuing interesting questions,” said Branch, adding that Kosel traveled around the region to conduct the necessary archival research for the study. “He’s the kind of person who will know how to make the internship a really valuable experience.”
English professor Gretchen Minton, who teaches the graduate-level environmental humanities course Kosel is taking this semester, agreed. She said Kosel’s classmates were “completely engrossed” by his final research presentation, which examined the history of Seattle’s urban development and its parallel impact on ecosystems and marginalized people.
“He brings interdisciplinary perspectives to everything he does,” Minton said.
Kosel’s interest in rhetoric developed over the past three years at MSU, which he chose to attend upon being selected for the Hilleman Scholars Program for Montana residents who demonstrate significant academic, leadership and career potential. The love he developed for writing in high school led him to major in English writing, but he later decided to pursue a second degree in MSU’s Department of History and Philosophy to expand his knowledge of cultures from “ancient to somewhat contemporary,” thereby giving him, as he said, more to write about.
“Lukas takes initiative to push himself to learn more, to improve his already excellent work and to expand his thinking,” said assistant professor of history Katherine Johnston. “He challenges other students to explore new ideas without even meaning to because he asks great questions and makes people think.”
While he once considered going to college out of state, Kosel said he is glad to have chosen MSU, where he has received excellent mentorship and numerous opportunities. He was admitted to the English department’s Accelerated Master’s Degree Program, works as a tutor in the MSU Writing Center and spent one year writing for the student newspaper. He also recently received the Mary Beth Vender Fay Scholarship, which is awarded to the top English writing student in the department.
Kosel said he is unsure what path he will pursue after graduating in May 2026, though he may explore opportunities in publishing. He said he hasn’t yet decided whether to finish the accelerated master’s degree, which would require an additional year of study, but whatever his decision, his teachers are certain he will succeed.
“Lukas will be an alumnus we’re proud of,” Branch said. “We’re going to be really happy to be part of his journey.”
MSU’s 2025 Baucus Leaders
The Max S. Baucus Institute, founded by former U.S. senator for Montana and former U.S. ambassador to China Max Baucus, has selected 16 MSU students to participate in its programs this summer. They are listed below by name, hometown, area of study and summer assignment.
The following MSU students have been placed through the Baucus Leaders DC program in paid summer internships with congressional offices in Washington, D.C.
- Ethan Gilpin, Bozeman, economics, office of Sen. Mike Crapo.
- Amanda Haab, Helena, microbiology, office of Sen. Steve Daines.
- McKenzie Jarman, Everett, Washington, psychology, office of Rep. Pat Harrigan.
- Kerrianne Kimbrell, Vancouver, Washington, film foundations, office of Sen. Patty Murray.
- Ella Pace, Battle Ground, Washington, political science, office of Sen. Chuck Grassley.
The following MSU students have been placed through the Climate Scholars program as paid interns with organizations working on climate and environmental issues.
- Natalie Baur, Greenwood Village, Colorado, liberal studies, Singapore Independent Study.
- Robert Brown, Billings, economics, The Nature Conservancy in Montana.
- Gracie Caldwell, Billings, environmental science, Shanghai Disneyland.
- Sayge Felker, Sacramento, California, political science, The Climate Reality Project.
- Kyle Hase, Park City, Utah, economics, The Nature Conservancy in Montana.
- Shawn Huseby, Florence, business marketing, Protect the Clearwater.
- Lukas Kosel, Roberts, English and history, Shanghai Disneyland.
- Lateefat Sanni, Bozeman, curriculum and instruction, The Climate Initiative.
- Zofia Skiba, Gypsum, Colorado, environmental science, Big Sky Sustainability.
The following MSU students have been placed through the Baucus Leaders Montana program in Montana-based public sector and nonprofit offices.
- Melisa Carter, Bozeman, political science, Montana Nonprofit Association.
- Charley Palm, Liberty Lake, Washington, political science, Montana World Affairs Council.