COMMUNITY STORIES: MORGAN FOLSOM
I am currently a junior at James Madison University, where I am studying Intelligence Analysis with a double minor in Geography and Humanitarian Affairs.
I am the Events & Partnership Manager, and I am lucky enough to have been in this role since June 2022, the initial launch of Student-Made JMU!
Growing up, my dad was in the Air Force and his job required us to move quite often. I was born in Ohio, and have lived in Florida, Montreal, and Texas before moving to Fairfax, VA where my dad got a job with the FAA.
My mom has always taught me to be a strong, independent woman who deserves respect and love, and my dad has taught me that I should always stick up for myself and dream bigger than I can imagine. My sisters and I have such a close bond and they have helped me be the person I am today.
Right out of high school, I always knew that I wanted to go to college and experience that lifestyle. I started looking into schools within VA that offered intelligence degrees, and JMU happened to fit the mold.
My experience so far has been better than I could have ever imagined, and I have met friends that I know will stay a part of my life for a long time.
Not many people can say that they have helped start a business, so to be able to add that to my life has been amazing.
The best thing I hope to gain from this community would be relationships, and a lifetime experience of hard work. There have been times when we weren’t as successful as we hoped, but we are consistently motivated to do hard things and tackle challenges head on.
The best thing I can give this community is advice and comfort in knowing that there will be hard times and there will be periods where it seems like nothing is working the way you want. But persistence is key.
One highlight that exemplifies Student-Made has been the memories I have been able to make with the other managers.
I can proudly say that our team contains some of the strongest, most wonderful women I have ever met and I am so happy that I get to call them not only my friends but my family.
This community has taught me to challenge myself and figure out what it takes to run a business. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the original managers when Student-Made JMU first launched, and being able to stay on the team with other managers who have been there since the beginning is amazing!
During my time in the Events & Partnerships role, I have seen first-hand the ups and downs of our launch. We had a rocky start in the beginning that pushed me out of my comfort zone in terms of planning events.
I had to make sure that our outreach within the community went beyond the campus in order for us to grow and be as successful as we are now.
I’m glad to say we have had a successful semester so far, and this is all really due to proper planning and execution of continuous events. Our manager team has been lucky in the sense that we can make connections and network within the Harrisonburg area which has facilitated our ability to join the Farmer’s Market, or table somewhere on campus that is unique to our school.
Either working for the FBI or the CIA has always been a dream of mine, so achieving that would be amazing.
My parents always encouraged me to pursue a job that I enjoyed, and once I found that this genre of education existed I knew that it was something I was meant to be a part of. I want to take on a role in the future that allows me to make a change and be a part of a larger organization and I believe that this career path will allow me to do just that.
I hope Student-Made will benefit me by teaching me about what it takes to stay motivated and dedicate myself to something I am very passionate about.
Submit the form in your Resource Portal to let us know your interest in sharing your journey with our Student-Made community— whether you’re a Creator or Manager! We’ll be in touch with you soon about helping you craft your inspiring story.
