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Hayley Morgan first heard of Christopher Newport as a high school freshman in Boulder, Colo.
What started as a routine assignment in their U.S. History and Geography class transpired into something more meaningful, and set in motion a journey that resulted in them becoming a Captain four years later.
That ninth-grade assignment was straightforward: find one college in each of the four U.S. time zones that fit their interests. Morgan was just starting high school and not yet attuned to any specific collegiate aspirations.
As Morgan embarked on the assignment – which involved creating a map that included each college’s size, location, climate and the factor that caught their attention–they came across a university in Virginia that piqued their interest: CNU.
Morgan took a deep dive, investigating what sort of clubs, majors and leadership programs the University offered.
“The more I looked into CNU, the more it checked all the boxes,” Morgan said. “It was near the ocean, it had a fantastic psychology department, clubs I wanted to be in, PLP (President’s Leadership Program), promised community, housing for more than just freshman/sophomore years, opportunities to study abroad, and so much more.”
Serendipitously, Morgan’s parents decided that year to take an educational spring break trip to Colonial Williamsburg.
“My mom really pushed me to take a look at colleges whenever we did a trip anywhere, so I asked how far away CNU was from Williamsburg,” they said. “When she said 20-30 minutes away, I was set on seeing this school I had found during my project.”
The choice became very clear after visiting campus. The intuition Morgan had developed about CNU turned out to be on point.
“I remember falling in love with CNU as soon as I stepped foot on campus, even before we did the tour. The campus was and still is gorgeous and it felt so welcoming,” Morgan said. “I just got this feeling that this was the place for me, that something just clicked.”
When Morgan’s junior year rolled around, the real college search began.
“I looked at a little over 100 schools, but CNU stayed at the top the entire time,” they said.
Four years after they stumbled upon Christopher Newport, they arrived on campus as a freshman and immediately got involved. Morgan is majoring in Psychology, but also has discovered a love for broadcasting and film, and has been a part of the live production crew for CNU Athletics.
“I started out just doing video but now I am doing much more directing and creating replays/highlight reels, or running around with a wireless camera,” they said. “Having this job made me realize how much I want to stay in broadcasting, to the point where through my connections at CNU, I now work for a company that does broadcasting video for both the Norfolk Tides and Norfolk Admirals and have had so many other opportunities within the broadcasting world.”
Morgan, who graduates this year, is most grateful for the perspective and education the University infused into their journey as a Captain.
“I have made lifelong friends, learned so many new things, both inside the classroom and out of it, I have gained new experiences here that I wouldn’t have had the chance to at a larger university,” they said. “I have created a community here and in the Newport News area that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”