Morgan Munsey

Meet Morgan Munsey

Morgan Munsey, a Church Hill native, is a senior computing major with a concentration in information technology who will graduate on Saturday, Dec. 15 (for complete information on ETSU's fall commencement ceremonies, visit https://bit.ly/2Er3J6u). She is a member of the Roan Scholars Leadership Program, which was established in 1997 by Louis H. Gump to attract the region’s most promising young leaders and develop each student’s unique leadership potential. In addition, she is creator of the program iGit—Involving Girls in Tech, and also holds the titles of Miss Historic Jonesborough 2017 and Miss Johnson City 2018.

What encouraged you to come to ETSU?

I actually went to code camp before my senior year of high school here at ETSU, and that’s when I really developed my love for computing.  The professors stayed with me after the camp one day and really encouraged me to pursue my education here, or at least in computing. They even encouraged me to try for the scholarship program that I ended up choosing, which was the Roan Scholars Leadership Program. Once I got that scholarship, it was set in stone that this is where I should be.  

Tell us about iGiT.

I was Miss Historic Jonesborough 2017 and Miss Johnson City 2018. Through that, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to make an impact in the community. I started a platform called iGit—Involving Girls in Tech. It is an opportunity for us to go into middle schools and teach these young girls about what computing is and what they can do with it, and open up a new realm of career choices that maybe they have never even heard of. Right now, there are a lot of jobs that are going to be opening up in the computing field within the next 10 years and we don’t have enough graduates to fill those jobs at this rate. If we can get more females in technology, it’ll fill that gap. I’m actually working with Eastman right now, who is partnering with ETSU’s Computing Department to get that program rolling; we should have a pilot program out sometime next year and we’ll actually get to start going to the schools and making an impact.

What opportunities has the Roan Scholars Leadership Program given you?

Looking back, I realized how everything that really made an impact on my life throughout the Roan program and before that has just been from an important, life-changing conversation. I think sometimes we think the things that point us in different directions in our lives are these big events, but sometimes it’s just a simple sentence. One professor stayed with me after that code camp and said, “You should try for the Roan,” and it just really set me on a path toward the Roan. Once I got in the Roan, they took me to a conference called Leadercast.  While I was there, a speaker told everybody to turn around and shake hands with the person behind them. I actually shook hands with an Eastman IT recruiter. I told him about myself, and he said, “You should apply for Eastman.” I didn’t apply; I got scared. Later on, I spoke at IDEAcademy. I shared iGit, what I wanted to do with that, and some research I had done. That same Eastman recruiter talked to me again and said, “You should really apply for Eastman.” So I applied, and I got to work for Eastman as an intern. Because of that conversation, one of the Roan directors, Dr. Jennifer Adler, said that I should apply to some other places just for fun and to not limit myself. So, I applied to Disney World, just for fun. Those little conversations sparked major changes in my life and I think that one of the biggest things the Roan has given me are the opportunities for those conversations that you might not have otherwise.

What was interning at Disney World like?

I interned at Walt Disney World this past summer. I was on the Supply Chain Technology Team and I did metrics for everything that they had in their warehouses. I tracked merchandise, so I got to see how things were moving and flowing in their warehouses or their sales floor, and I helped them transition from an old system to a new system to make sure that their data was staying correct. That was really cool. I was really eager to come back to Tennessee, but I do miss going to the parks every day. I think I collected 14 pairs of ears while I was there, so now they line my cubicle wall.

What are your short- and long-term career goals?

Once I graduate, I’ll be starting at Eastman Chemical Company. I’ll be working as a systems analyst on the Service Management Office Team doing service metrics. I’d like to eventually climb the corporate ladder and see how far I can go on the management track.