Dual major from School of Social Transformation awarded Dean’s Medal

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for spring 2019 commencement.

Emily Morris is among the outstanding students awarded a Dean’s Medal by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the spring 2019 semester.

On April 15, The College announced its latest round of Dean’s Medalists, which includes 19 outstanding students — one from each department and school within The College. Emily Morris is the recipient from the School of Social Transformation.

Morris is graduating with dual degrees in justice studies and women & gender studies. She is also completing a minor in media analysis, as well as a certificate in socio-legal studies. And she’s achieved this all while maintaining a more than 4.0 GPA. But her time at ASU has involved much more than academics.

“In my last year of high school, I became really interested in sociology and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of human behavior,” Morris said. “But what seemed to be lacking from these conversations were what to do about the massive injustices in society. The School of Social Transformation and justice and social inquiry caught my eye because it covered those gaps and I needed to learn more!”

Morris has been an extremely active member of the Sun Devil Community during her time at ASU. She worked with Devils in the Bedroom — a paraprofessional student organization providing comprehensive sexual health and wellness education to the ASU community — during her freshman year. She also became a peer educator and completed Sexual Violence Prevention training. Additionally, she served as a peer mentor in SST’s Early Start Program for incoming first-year students, and she assisted in the planning of the annual Clothesline Project — a visual showcase to raise awareness about sexual violence and prevention. She’s also coached students at the First-Year Success Center. And an internship with the Raíz program at Planned Parenthood serving the Latinx community allowed her to continue pursuing her interests in sexual health and wellness.

Her academic accomplishments are even more impressive considering how active she has been in the community. “Some advice for students about doing well academically is learning how to ask for help and trying to build a support network at ASU,” said Morris. “ASU is so large, it can be easy to feel lost in the crowd and making real connections takes more effort. But reaching out to professors or others in your field who you look up to is so important.” 

As for future aspirations, Morris intends to continue making a difference through her activism and advocacy. She explains, “After graduation I plan to work in higher education with students in academic advising and other areas of student retention. I’m also going to continue doing work with Planned Parenthood assisting with educational programming! I want to continue my own education, and in the future, I’d love to get a master's in higher education.”

Morris, and the other Dean’s Medalists, will be recognized May 7 at The College’s convocation ceremony.