Alumni
Morgan Pinkleton
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Morgan grew up under the constant influence of her parents to give anything and everything she could to people in need. This began as early as elementary school by helping peers in class, but expanded to include a wide variety of service by the time she was in high school.
Throughout high school, Morgan served a vast number of causes: she volunteered and led endeavors for environmental sustainability in wake of the 2010 flood in Nashville, tutored students with learning disabilities during school hours, mentored children with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and volunteered at the Nashville Rescue Mission in order to serve the homeless population. However, it was Morgan’s Student Leadership course and her participation in her high school’s unique “Anti Bias Week” program that most impacted her.
Through her Student Leadership course, Morgan learned the importance of servant leadership and the critical analysis of service. Her studies piqued her interest in the nonprofit world.
Anti Bias Week, a week dedicated to discussing social issues and unifying the student body, became Morgan’s defining service work her junior and senior years of high school. She became one of eight student program coordinators, which meant she helped develop themed weeks, wrote curriculum and discussion prompts for the week, hand picked and trained student facilitators, and helped plan daily assemblies. Morgan acted as the Art Director those two years, utilizing her talent and passion for art. Anti Bias Week reinforced Morgan’s love of interaction with people and gave her valuable experience with public speaking and leading her peers
As a first generation college student, Morgan had no idea what to expect from her freshman year at Vanderbilt. She never could have anticipated the shock of her family losing her childhood home to foreclosure. The experience reinforced her interest in homelessness and poverty, and further spurred her interest in economics. Her sophomore year at Vanderbilt, Morgan travelled to Atlanta for Alternative Spring Break in order to become more educated about issues revolving around homelessness and poverty. She also interned at Sophia’s Heart, a transitional home for homeless families, helping to improve their organizational capacity and to start a music and arts program for the facility. Morgan spent her summer as a live-in volunteer at Sophia’s Heart to further support the families.
Morgan spent her fall semester of junior year, and her first semester as an Ingram scholar, studying abroad in Denmark. The experience opened her eyes to issues of sustainable and organic agriculture. Through the Ingram program, Morgan began to connect the dots between her various service experiences and began planning a summer project revolving around organic urban agriculture. Her ASB trip to Portland, OR that spring reinforced her interest in sustainable living, and her service in the spring semester took a turn towards the environment. Morgan finished her junior year preparing to travel to Houston, TX to create a community garden inventory for an organization called Urban Harvest. Her senior year will revolve around gaining nonprofit experience with local gardening organizations.
Morgan is so grateful to the Ingram family and her fellow Ingram Scholars for continuing to support her and push her to new heights.