University Of Missouri-St. Louis: Doctoral Candidate Lauren Morgan Balances Criminal Justice Research With Training As Elite Water Skier

Creve Coeur MO

04 May, 2022

2:08 PM

Description

Press release from the University of Missouri-St. Louis: April 25, 2022 Beth Huebner honestly doesn't know how Lauren Morgan does it. On the one hand, Morgan is a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, pursuing a degree in criminology and criminal justice and in the process of narrowing her dissertation research on so-called crossover youth – children and adolescents involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice system. She has already found a lot of success in her burgeoning career, including a child welfare policy internship position last summer at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., and an upcoming role as a research assistant for the National Institute of Justice. But when she's not engaged in research, Morgan is often found skimming across the top of some lake or launching herself off of a ramp at up to 65 miles per hour as she trains for her professional water skiing career. Last October, she won a bronze medal at the 37th IWWF World Waterski Championships in Groveland, Florida. "I'm in awe of her, really," said Huebner, a professor in UMSL's Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Morgan's adviser. "We often talk quite early in the morning because after that she gets up and works, and she makes sure to have very clear goals every time we meet. I think that putting that structure into her life has only enhanced her research." The opportunity to pursue her PhD alongside her professional water skiing career was one of the reasons Morgan chose UMSL's nationally recognized doctoral program in 2019. "I applied pretty last minute to three different PhD programs, and I came to visit and just really loved it," Morgan said. "I thought I would be able to fit in well because the program is a little bit more flexible in terms of letting you direct what you want to do, direct your studies, and once you get through coursework, you can be the boss of your career. So, I could decide if I wanted to ski a little bit and also get my work done. "Beth's really flexible with me but also holds me accountable. I make sure I get my work done. But she also understands that I have this other side of my career. I don't think I would be able to water ski at the same level if I went somewhere else." Morgan had taken a break from competitive water skiing while she began pursuing her master's degree in criminal justice and corrections at Seattle University in 2016. During her graduate studies, she became interested in the foster care system, securing an internship as a case manager at You Grow Girl!, a nonprofit organization that provides a safe forum for girls in the foster care system to tackle their fears and insecurities, build self-confidence and be surrounded by supportive peers and adults. It became clear right away that she'd also need to familiarize herself with the juvenile justice system because of the number of clients she encountered bouncing from one system to the other. Morgan thought she might make a career as case manager or working in mental health therapy after finishing her master's. She landed a full-time job as a residential youth counselor at Pioneer Human Services, which put her right at the intersection of the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The nonprofit operates a range of programs across Washington state, assisting people reentering society from prison, jail and the juvenile justice system as well as those who are overcoming substance use disorders and mental health issues. "I was literally right across the street from the juvenile detention center, so I'd go there often," Morgan said. "It was weird because our building had a contract with the juvenile detention center where if they were short staffed, they'd ask us to come over there. They were literally linked, which I thought was really weird and interesting." Case managers have regular opportunities to make a difference in their clients lives' by offering support or connecting them to services, but the work can also leave them feeling helpless as they watch those clients struggle with systemic issues. "A lot of it is out of their hands," Morgan said. "A lot of it is bureaucratic practices that they really can't have much say over. It's sad to see their frustration." It didn't take Morgan too many months of experiencing that frustration herself before she decided she wanted to be able to do more. Her decision to pursue her PhD was motivated by a desire to do research that could influence policy. It just so happened that her friend Andrea Giuffre, who also earned her master's in criminal justice at Seattle University, had enrolled in UMSL's doctoral program in 2018. She suggested Morgan give the program a look. This press release was produced by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The views expressed here are the author's own.