Small steps, big dreams for Columbia Falls senior

As graduating senior Cole Burger looks back over his time at Columbia Falls High School, he realizes just how far he has come.

As a freshman, Burger was shy and untrusting of the people around him. Now, he is a popular student know for his love of dancing who is ready to become the first person in his family to graduate high school and attend college.

“As a freshman, I didn’t talk and I didn’t really care about anything. Sure, I did my schoolwork, but I didn’t really connect with anyone and I didn’t really care to do any kind of socializing. Now, I am a lot more flexible, connected and open minded,” Burger said of his time in high school. “These past few years have been really rough for me, but I have pushed through it all. I found ways at high school to deal with all the dysfunctions of life.”

Originally from Pennsylvania, Burger moved to Montana as an elementary student when his father took a masonry job laying bricks here.

After experiencing some rough moments at home, Burger entered high school as a quiet student with trust issues. After reaching out to some of his teachers and other adults in his life, be began to come out of his shell.

“I started to learn how to deal with my trust issues and they encouraged me and I started opening up to people more,” he said. “I was encouraged to play football and that ended up helping me out a lot.”

Burger made his first attempt at the sport as a freshman, but left the team before the end of the season. He tried again as a junior, and that is when he truly began to find his confidence.

“One of my friends knew that I liked to tell stories, so he talked me into doing it with the football team. I got up in front of all of the guys and told my stories and we all had a blast. I think that is really when things started taking off. I enjoyed myself and realized socializing wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” he said. “Coming out and playing football was really worthwhile in the end. Coach (Jaxson) Schweikert taught me that it is not about winning games or championships. playing football is about the brotherhood. That really spoke volumes to me and it was worth the experience.”

Burger was a member of the 2017 state championship Wildcat football team and a manager for the 2018 squad that went to the state semifinal.

It was during his time with the football team that his love of dancing caught the attention of his teammates and his reputation quickly spread throughout the school.

“I can cut a rug if I want to,” he admitted. “I’m laid back and I don’t really like the attention, but it’s fun and it’s a good reputation to have.”

Having come a long way from his freshman year, Burger says he is now ready to continue his education at the next level, as he prepares to study wildlife biology at Flathead Valley Community College next year with the hopes of earning a degree in the subject from the University of Montana.

“I feel like I have an obligation to pursue college and lay a foundation for my future,” he said. “I want to lay a good foundation for when I have a family of my own and pursue the opportunities my parents never really had.”

The Columbia Falls graduation ceremony will take place at the high school gym Saturday at 11 a.m.