Northwestern State University alumni and long-time supporters David and Sherry Morgan awarded almost $60,000 in scholarships during the annual Morgan Extra Mile Scholarship Program held March 4, an event that recognizes outstanding undergraduates who are also members of Alpha Zeta chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority and the Beta Omicron chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Extra Mile Scholarship recipients are students who “go the extra mile” in pursuit of their degree. The Morgans also awarded Morgan First Generation Scholarships to students who are the first in their families to attend college.
David Morgan is a 1973 NSU graduate and past president of NSU’s Beta Omicron Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. He established the Extra Mile Scholarship in 2008 to recognize members of Pi Kappa Phi who distinguish themselves through academic success, chapter leadership, campus involvement and part-time employment. The scholarship has since grown and is awarded at the national level as well as in the local chapter.
The Sherry Fargerson Morgan “Extra Mile” Scholarship for Sigma Sigma Sigma was announced in 2017 and mirrors the criteria for Pi Kappa Phi by honoring students who are outstanding and high achieving members of the chapter. Sherry Morgan is a 1973 graduate of NSU. During Monday’s program, she was presented with the Sigma Sigma Sigma Golden Violet from the sorority’s national executive to honor her as a faithful member for the past 52 years.
“To me, going the extra mile is doing the next right thing and then the next right thing and keep on doing the right thing,” Sherry Morgan said to students. “It’s showing up for your family. It’s showing up for your friends.”
“We were both first generation students, so we know what it’s like. To be the first person in your family to graduate from college means a lot,” David Morgan said. “What does going the extra mile mean to you? To me, it means doing more than you are asked to do. It means showing up early, staying late, staying in to do a project instead of going out. It’s habits that you develop today at Northwestern that are going on with you when you leave here. If you get in the habit of doing more than you are supposed to, going the extra mile is going to pay off when you leave here.”
The Morgans’ daughter Laura Davison of Austin, Texas, was guest speaker. Davison is an attorney and associate in the David Morgan Family Office where she focuses on family trusts, legal and regulatory compliance, education and other legal matters. Davison graduated from Baylor University with a degree in financial services and planning and earned her law degree at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now the Texas A&M School of Law) in Fort Worth. She and her husband have three children, ages nine, 11 and 14. Davison said her parents instilled in her and her brothers a sense of hard work, integrity and perseverance.
“Going the extra mile simply requires a series of small actions one day at a time,” Davison said. “Have you ever heard of someone described as an overnight success? You can rest assured that that success was made up of thousands of seemingly insignificant decisions that add up over time and most were done when no one was looking.”
Wes Breeden, 2003 NSU graduate and Pi Kappa Phi alumnus, emceed the program. Breeden serves on the NSU Foundation Board of Directors and the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation. During the program, Steve Esworthy, chief advancement officer for the national Pi Kappa Phi Foundation, recognized the Beta Omicron Alumni Chapter as a Champion Master Alumni Chapter, having regularly exceeding expectations in alumni volunteering, alumni engagement and support of the student chapter.
Committee chairs for the 2024 Morgan Extra Mile Scholarship Program were Madison Cook, Zach Cooper and Micah King under the guidance of Reatha Cox, NSU’s vice president of the Student Experience and Dean of Students.
Recipients of 2024 Morgan First Generation Scholarships are as follows.
Wyatt Aguillard of Eunice (Basile High School)
Lexie Amond of Livonia (Livonia High School)
Alyssa Austin of Pineville (Grant High School)
Brea Baca-White of Jennings (Hathaway High School)
Natalie Cobb of Stonewall North Desoto High School)
Zach Cooper of Winnsboro (Franklin Parish High School)
Lance Corry of DeRidder (Merryville High School)
Jesse Foshee of Provencal (Natchitoches Central High School)
Peyton Fuller of Deville (Buckeye High School)
Jayden Gray of Shreveport (Northwood High School)
Caid Kendrick of Vivian (North Caddo High School)
Kaley Koss of Robeline (Many High School)
Kayla Lanassa of Albany (Albany High School)
Josephine Martinez of Shreveport (C. E. Byrd High School)
Mitchell Mayfield of Walker (Live Oak High School)
Brooke Straight of St. Francisville (Wilkinson County Christian Academy)
Gabriel Weaver of Baton Rouge – Louisiana School for the Math, Science and the Arts
Cailen Wiltcher of Sondheimer (Briarfield Academy)
Students who received 2024 Sherry F. Morgan Extra Mile Scholarships are as follows.
Madison Cook of Vivian (North Caddo High School)
Katharyn Evans of Benton (Benton High School)
Peyton Fuller of Deville (Buckey High School)
Zoe Johnson of Patterson (Berwick High School)
Kaley Koss of Robeline (Many High School)
Amber Long of Bossier City (Bossier High School)
Natalie Mangandi of Shreveport (Captain Shreve High School)
Brooke Straight of St. Francisville (Wilkinson County Christian Academy)
Kacy Young of Shreveport (C.E. Byrd High School)
This year’s recipients of the David D. Morgan Extra Mile Scholarships are as follows.
Zachary Cooper of Winnsboro (Franklin Parish High School)
Colby Grayson of Bossier City (Parkway High School)
Caid Kendrick of Vivian (North Caddo High School)
Mitchell Mayfield of Walker (Live Oak High School)
Samuel McCray of Shreveport (Parkway High School)
Dominic Ross of DeRidder (Louisiana School Math, Science and the Arts)
David and Sherry Morgan have deep ties to NSU. The couple met as students at NSU and have been married 50 years. Last year, they delivered the largest ever private donation to NSU Athletics by supporting the construction of a new athletic strength and conditioning facility that will be named the David and Sherry Morgan Health Performance Center.
