Dani Morgan - B.S. ‘20

By Conner Evora, master’s student

Dani Morgan’s alumni story is a little bit different than a typical college graduate. Morgan, an outfielder for Florida State University’s softball team, was finishing up her final semester in the sport management undergraduate program in the spring of 2020. She and the rest of the team were in the midst of her final campaign, chasing the ultimate goal of winning a national championship, something she experienced in 2018. The Newnan, Georgia, native had already been accepted into the human resources master’s program at the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business and was planning her life after softball. The team was preparing to embark on a 10-day road trip when administration in the athletic department told them to sit tight. Shortly after, the news hit that the remainder of the season was canceled.

It was hard for Morgan to fathom, but she understood the magnitude of the situation. “We found out through Twitter as we were in a meeting preparing to leave for our next games. It was heartbreaking to think that what we worked so hard for could be taken away so quickly, but some things are bigger than our own feelings, and it was important to remember that,” Morgan said. “There were a lot of unknowns and uncertainty in the situation, but it was something that was being felt and affecting not just NCAA athletes, but pretty much the entire world.”

Rumors swirled that the NCAA was considering offering an extra year of eligibility to spring student-athletes. Morgan had to have a plan ready for each possible scenario and know what she would do if she had another opportunity to play. Ultimately, when the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility, Morgan knew what she wanted to do and was fortunate to get reassurance from her future graduate program at South Carolina. “My graduate program told me they would support me in whichever decision I made and that I had the option to defer my enrollment a year if I decided to return to Florida State,” Morgan said. “Having the option to defer made my decision a little bit easier, and I ultimately decided to return because of how amazing my experience here had been over the past four years. I knew if I didn’t stay, I would always wonder what if.”

Away from the softball field, Morgan found a love for Human Resources during her undergraduate coursework and decided to pursue a career in the field. “When I was deciding on what to go to grad school for, I did more research and found that HR has many different functions and would allow me to really choose the career path that interested me the most,” Morgan said.

Dani Morgan is still on the career path she originally intended, but now with an unexpected twist thrown in. She has also taken advantage of the extra time in the classroom, taking classes that will help prepare her for a smooth transition into graduate school. While she is excited to begin her professional career, she is making sure to enjoy every moment she gets as she takes this journey with her team for the (second) last time.