JSU grad inspires during journalism banquet
By Shanderia K. Posey
Editor
Jackson State alumnus DeMarco Morgan offered tons of inspiration to the university’s journalism students last Friday night as the keynote speaker for the Student Recognition Banquet.
The banquet marked the final event for JSU’s inaugural School of Journalism and Media Studies Conference held April 7-8. The conference theme was “Multimedia Platforms in the Digital Age” and several national and state media professionals shared their expertise with students on how to achieve successful careers in communication.
In her introduction of Morgan, Sylvia Watley, Special Projects Coordinator for the School of Journalism and Media Studies, said a perfect song to describe Morgan’s life would be “I Believe I Can Fly.” “He is so real in his journey to living his dream,” Watley said.
Morgan, a 2001 JSU graduate, dreamed of becoming a successful news anchor since he was a child. He was particularly interested and intrigued by the work of Dan Rather. Today, Morgan is a national correspondent for CBS news headquartered in New York. He’s worked in Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Wis., and for WJTV-TV in Jackson. Achieving his dreams didn’t come easy.
His father died when Morgan was 10, so he grew up in a single-parent home. His older brother took their father’s death so hard he starting getting into trouble — crime and drugs.
The Tulsa, Okla., native shared how he graduated at the bottom of his class at Booker T. Washington High School. He stressed — the bottom. He scored a 13 on the ACT twice and a 16 once. He failed his English class back then and was advised by an English teacher to consider work involving his hands instead of broadcasting. The teacher told him the requirements of being able to read and write well would hamper his success in the broadcast industry.
“It broke my spirit,” Morgan said. He kept the teacher’s comment a secret from his mom for a long time.
Morgan applied to about nine colleges and universities and was only accepted by Jackson State. “They gave me a chance, and I never ever forgot it,” he said.
He started reading more and made the dean’s list for fours years at JSU. During his junior year he was recognized by Scripps Howard Foundation. He also started working for JSU’s campus TV station — TV 23. There he learned how to write a story. His first story was at the State Capitol.
“I realized that we had everything I needed to get to where I wanted to go (in my career) on campus,” he said.
After JSU, he went to Columbia University in New York to earn a master’s degree.
About two weeks after arriving at Columbia, he learned he didn’t have enough financial aid to cover the nearly $70,000 tuition. The setback seemed insurmountable, but he still recalls his mom’s advice.
“I’ve prayed as much as I can possibly pray,” his mom told him. “But you have to meet God for yourself.”
She also told Morgan, “When God brings you to a cliff, you have to trust Him fully and let go. He’s either going to catch you when you fall or teach you how to fly.”
“In other words, you’ll be OK,” Morgan said. The next day he received scholarships and other financial aid awards to cover the tuition.
Morgan reflected on how his life could have turned out much different. He loves his older brother and looked up to him when they were kids. Morgan could have chosen his brother’s route. He says faith and obedience to God have steered him down the right paths.
Now his life has come full circle in many ways. As a successful news anchor, he was invited to become the youngest commencement speaker at his high school alma mater. The teacher who told him his dreams were impossible was there to witness his accomplishments. He’s also taught at Clark-Atlanta University, Jackson State, Spelman and Morehouse College — a college he was denied acceptance to.
“I have wanted to give up so many times,” said Morgan, who acknowledged he was overlooked for opportunities several times. But he emphasized to the audience that no matter what, God has the final say.
“I know for a fact that I’m not supposed to be doing what I’m doing, but it’s by the grace of God,” Morgan said.
Some of Morgan’s advice to students focused on asking God for His will to happen in their lives, having a good work ethic, having no excuses, doing internships, network with all people, don’t beat yourself up over mistakes and realize that the money will come.
Several JSU students received recognition for a variety of categories during the banquet including highest GPA, internship award, media production, multimedia award, photojournalism, feature writing, advertising award, public relations, and much more.
JSU Senior Orionna Brumfield received the Highest GPA Scholastic Award. She credits her success to an extensive support system.
“Everyone played a major role in my success: faculty, administration, staff, classmates and especially my family,” Brumfield said. “All the support, even if it was just words of encouragement, gave me the strength I needed to keep going. I also thank God because none of this would have been possible without him. My only scholastic goal was to keep my GPA above a 3.5, but I never imagined that would lead to me being at the top of my class.”
Morgan’s words seemed to inspire Brumfield to keep excelling.
“Mr. Morgan’s story is very similar to mine right now. He had to work very hard to reach his goals, but the struggle molded him into the man he is today. Like him, I have started to appreciate my struggle because I know my hard work will pay off. Most likely, it will be sooner than I ever imagined.”
Shanderia K. Posey can be reached at sposey@mississippilink.com.
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