Alumna Brittany Morgan spoke to students during their study hall and lunch Oct. 24 on the importance of being authentic and loving oneself as who they are. At the beginning of her presentation, she spoke of her struggles and of trying to find who she was and wanted to be.

“A part of me being authentic is my voice,” Morgan said. “A lot of the times growing up, I battled with this high-pitched, squeaky voice of mine that I just felt like didn’t have a place in high school or anywhere in the world. I didn’t know how I was going to make it.”

While she was at Sion, Morgan made memories while participating on the track and cheer teams, but she also had some bad memories. During high school she battled with depression and not loving who she was. She believed she took “the sisterhood” for granted and wanted to share this with students so they could appreciate it now. Morgan also gave credit to Sion for laying the foundation needed in order to love who she was.

“The faculty and the staff that I had here at Sion uplifted me and encouraged me to love myself,” Morgan said. “Even when I didn’t believe in myself and didn’t think I was going to go to college or I didn’t think there was anything out there for me out in the world, they believed in me and encouraged me.”

Senior Liliana Capelli attended Morgan’s speech and believes it would be beneficial for the whole school to hear her story because it was relatable to students and the time in high school is short so it is important to make the most of it. Capelli also felt reassured in the fact that Sion was comforting to Morgan.

“It was hard to watch her cry and listen to her talk about depression but it was reassuring that she found comfort at Sion,” Capelli said. “It was awesome to see her come back and show her appreciation for Sion.”

After graduating in 2007, Morgan went to Stephens College. However, before she graduated she took a trip to Uganda where she met a woman named Fiona. Fiona aspired to be a journalist, but because of the lack of funds she wasn’t able to achieve her goal. Morgan made a vow to Fiona that if she couldn’t become a journalist, Morgan would try to become one. Over time, Fiona’s dream became Morgan’s dream too and both became journalists.

“It was in Uganda that I feel like I totally found out who I was. And that’s when I realized that I wanted to spend my life giving back to other people,” Morgan said.

After graduating from college, Morgan moved to New York City where she worked her way to where she is now – the assistant to Gale King, editor-at-large of O Magazine and co-host of CBS This Morning. She has been able to work on many different projects and pieces while meeting people like rapper Ice Cube and actress Cicely Tyson.

“It was really on my heart to come here today just to encourage you guys and to know that you’re all special and that you are loved even when you don’t feel like it,” Morgan said. “It was in this auditorium and these classrooms that I developed the foundation to be the person that I am now.”