Shaw Senior Goes From Farm to Computer Science
December 21, 2015 – Graduating college
and finding a job is difficult, especially if you're the first in your family
to do it. But one Shaw
University graduating senior is doing just that.
Lionel
Morgan grew up working on a farm, dreaming of being a mechanic. Recently,
though, he landed a gig that he never thought he would have.
From
tractors to tracked ROVs, he's now using his farm-grown work ethic in the field
of computer science.
"What
got me stuck in computer science is that I was really interested in doing web
design," Morgan said. "Just like seeing those images come up on the
screen, it just really interested me.”
Morgan
didn't think of applying to Shaw University until his high school graduation
party.
While his
interest pulled him into the program, it was a passionate Shaw Chair of
Computer and Information Science Lloyd Williams who encouraged him to become
one of the school's most remarkable students.
“(Williams)
definitely got me to stay here," Morgan said. "He said that, if I
worked hard, that would pay off.”
Williams
added, "I remember when (Morgan) first came to Shaw, and I look at him now
and he has this amazing job and he’s about to graduate.”
As for that
job: Fidelity Investments hired Morgan as a systems analyst at a salary that is
substantially higher than the state median household income of $46,000.
Williams
describes the position as unimaginable – a model for all future students.
For Morgan,
a self-proclaimed small-town family man, it’s surreal.
“I’m a
first-generation college student," Morgan said. "I wouldn’t say that
it makes more of, like, pressure, but more of I have the vision to go and see
not only for me, but also for my family."
Morgan and
about a dozen other computer science majors at Shaw are set to graduate on May
10.
This story originally appeared on wral.com on
December 21, 2015. Reporting by Mikaya Thurmond.