Hey, I'm Morgan!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Morgan Miller and I am a junior Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) major with a minor in Business Administration at Slippery Rock University!

I grew up in a small town about a half an hour away from Pittsburgh. When I say small town, I really do mean small. My graduating class was a whopping 150, and when people ask where I'm from, I almost always say Pittsburgh because no one knows where I'm talking when I say my town: West Deer. Never heard of it? Most people haven't either, so don't worry about it. I have always been a Pittsburgh girl, and I am extremely grateful for getting to explore all of the opportunities that Pittsburgh has to offer.

Originally, I went to Temple University in Philadelphia, but after only a semester, I had transferred to Slippery Rock. Transferring is scary. It’s admitting that you aren’t 100% in love with the school you had your heart set on. It’s admitting that maybe you weren’t ready to travel 300+ miles from home on your own to a new city where you know next to no one. You feel judged and sometimes, you feel like you failed. You couldn’t handle it.

However, I'm here to say that transferring is okay! Did you know that more than a third of college students transfer? I went to Temple University in Philadelphia for my first semester as an art major and decided within the first 2 weeks that I hated the BFA program, so I switched. I then decided shortly after that I wanted to be gone. I had an application in to Slippery Rock within the first 3 weeks of being at Temple. It’s taken me a while to realize, but transferring doesn’t mean I’ve made a mistake. Personally, I don’t think I would be the same person if I didn’t attend school on my own in Philly. Just because I didn’t choose to stay there doesn’t mean I don’t value the experiences I had and the friendships I made. I was able to realize that Temple wasn’t a good fit for me, and that I needed to be closer to home and wanted to attend a school out of the city. Transferring isn’t giving up, it’s seeing the bigger picture. It’s making decisions based on what’s best for you. It’s not easy deciding to leave a school you had your heart set on and find a new one. I have found my place. I have now transferred to a new school in a completely different environment, studying something completely different. And I love it. I never would’ve guessed that this was where I was going to end up, but I couldn’t be happier.

Beyond my academics, I am an avid watcher of the Office, a lover of photography (feel free to check out my photography Instagram to take a look at my photos!) and volunteering at the Butler County Humane Society, but not so much recently because of the pandemic. I love to travel, and my favorite place is the Outer Banks in North Carolina, which is our summer vacation (a tradition for the past 15 years!). Call me a nerd, but I love to read, and my favorite book that I have read so far in my 20 years of life is "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, and if you have not read it, I highly recommend. I am family girl, and I adore spending time with those closest to me.

I am a major social media addict, and I own that! I am constantly scrolling through my phone, trying to find inspiration for new projects, or finding something interesting to read. New media journalism is a great opportunity for me to learn the media practices of journalism in this ever changing social world. I am looking forward to refining my writing skills and learning how to write for different media platforms. Pretty crazy that our world is so media-centric, that journalism can be done just from a cell phone or laptop?

I get my news typically from social media, like any other Gen Z. However, I do really enjoy the New York Times whenever I do want to read a little more in the news, or longer articles in general. The New York times has visually stunning articles while also providing great information from some of the best journalists in the world. However, when I'm looking for something less serious, I will normally turn to Buzzfeed. Although they do have their fair share of actual news, they also have fun articles about popular TV shows and movies, amusing videos, recipes, quizzes, and so much more.

Lastly, I would like to thank you again for coming to my blog, Train of Thought! I decided to name my blog Train of Thought since this is going to follow my train of thought throughout New Media Journalism this upcoming semester. I am excited to take you through my journey through New Media Journalism this fall, and if you're looking to check out who I am, please check out any and all of my socials and connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

And now, to begin the semester!