UT Dallas marketing junior Kelsey Morrison (left), with Carrie Miller, American Advertising Federation of Dallas education chair, was awarded a $1,500 scholarship by the organization.
UT Dallas junior Kelsey Morrison, a marketing major in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, is used to facing challenges. But that hasn’t stopped her from reaching her goals.
As a high school student, she was terrified of public speaking and enrolled in a community college class to tame her fears. She even read a self-help book, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be, in her pursuit of confidence.
“It took an entire semester to feel confident in front of my class of 30,” she said. “But I was proud of the large step I had taken.”
Morrison has taken another large step in her academic career after recently receiving a $1,500 Morris Hite Memorial Scholarship.
The scholarship, which is open to marketing undergraduate or graduate students who attend a university in the nine-county Dallas-Fort Worth area, is awarded by the American Advertising Federation of Dallas.
She applied for the scholarship after completing an internship at Southwest Airlines in Dallas last summer.
“Southwest Airlines internships are some of the most competitive around, and landing one is a major coup,” said Julie Haworth, director of the Bachelor's in Marketing Program at the Jindal School.
Morris Hite Scholarship
The Morris Hite Memorial Scholarship is named for Morris Hite (1910-1983), a Dallas advertising executive. Hite started his own ad agency by the time he was 20 and later rose to the presidency of TracyLocke.
A longtime civic booster, he worked with other leaders in petitioning the state Legislature to establish UT Dallas. He also helped promote the construction of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and envisioned the Dallas Arts District.
In recognition of his efforts, UT Dallas endowed and established the Morris Hite Center for Product Development and Marketing Science in 1984.
Haworth, who wrote a letter of recommendation for Morrison’s scholarship application, had her as a student last fall and said that Morrison absorbed every moment of her Southwest Airlines experience.
“The internship really helped her understanding of the subject,” Haworth said.
Morrison also plays for the UT Dallas volleyball team as a defensive specialist and was one of 50 Comets named to the American Southwest Conference’s all-academic teams for fall sports.
For her, athletics and academics overlap.
“I’ve learned attitude, coachability and effort are the difference between a good and a great teammate,” Morrison said. “Volleyball has prepared me in ways that can’t be put on paper. It’s the growing experience, building character in times of struggle, and understanding that in anything you do or pursue it’s not your entire life.”
“Kelsey is tremendously self-motivated and driven to succeed,” said her coach, Marci Sanders. “She seeks out opportunities to improve herself in all aspects of her life, including athletics, academics and future career opportunities.”
Morrison also mentors young volleyball players who are 5 to 10 years old.
“Much like volleyball only being a game, grades disappear when you leave college. Neither of these things defines you,” she said. “It’s about how you grow, what you learn and the relationships you build along the way. I’ve learned not to sweat the little stuff and enjoy college while I can.”
This story was written by freelance contributor Jeanne Spreier.