Scholars in the News
Reshma Tharani, 21, is part of a new breed of community college student
Morgan Evans
"I am able to push past the surface clutter and apprehend more interesting patterns and currents that lie just below our routines and assumptions."
- Alumni of: 2002 Graduate Scholarship Program
- Four-year College or University: James Madison University
- Graduate School: Northwestern University
Biography
In his aspiration to be a journalist, Morgan Evans wants to "write for a news source that is at once political and creative, hard-hitting and reasonable." While at James Madison University, he has focused on "communicating thoughtfully and effectively." He has honed his skills by writing about subjects as diverse as homeless legislation in New York City, low-income housing for chicken factory workers in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and women's reactions to "Married with Children." Two summers ago, he studied at the University of Legon in Ghana, learning "through journal entries, discussions, tours, and wanderings" about Ghanaian history and society.
The Internet as a news media that can be "at once diverse and penetrating," where "issues too complex and heated for the mainstream media can be treated less gingerly, and from several different angles," intrigues Morgan. He would be thrilled to write for one of several groundbreaking e-zines.
Volunteer service is another important part of his Morgan's life, because "it exists outside of individualism, career advancement, and personal gain." He visits a home for families struggling to get back on their feet and takes the children to a nearby park. He has participated in cleanups and other activities through the student-run EARTH club. He volunteers at the Harrisonburg Animal Shelter. And he is a "Book Buddy" at a local elementary school, working one-on-one with a first grader to improve reading skills.
Morgan bemoans "a shortage of information that is both open-minded and ethically grounded" and says that "this country cannot fulfill its great promise if choked by ignorance and apathy."
He believes that he has a gift for comprehending the world around him and for communicating this knowledge through language. He plans to study journalism to make use of this gift. "I strongly feel that I have something to say, and something to give."
Other Scholars Like Morgan
Amanda Bryant
Graduate Scholar
Bowling Green State University
Esmeralda Duran
Graduate Scholar
Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
Qing Jiang
Graduate Scholar
New England Conservatory of Music
Mark Krakauer
Graduate Scholar
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine