A volunteer for her class, a Cornell Hillel board member and a loyal donor, Morgan gives back in more ways than one and inspires others to do the same. The pins she collects serve as a visual reminder of the ways she strives to build lasting ties for herself and future Cornellians.
The passion Morgan feels for Cornell began long before she stepped onto campus her first year. Her numerous family ties to Cornell include her great uncle, Howard J. Blaugrund ’30; grandfather, Daniel J. Blaugrund ’36, J.D. ’37; sister, Suzanne Weidberg Klein ’96; uncle, Charles R. “Chip” Blaugrund ’67; and her father, Bertrand H. Weidberg ’62.
“I can remember back to very early Thanksgivings, where we would end Thanksgiving by singing the alma mater,” Morgan says. “It was a very warm memory from early on.”
Morgan lived in the same dorms her first year as her father did in 1958, the U-Halls. A knitted Cornell blanket – the blanket her great-grandmother made for her father for his freshman dorm room – hung on her wall.
These connections, and those Morgan made as a student in the School of Hotel Administration, helped launch her career, led to lifelong friendships and inspired her to give back starting immediately after graduation. Each pin she collects helps tell her Cornell story.
“I always knew it was important to support things you care about,” she says. Morgan directs her giving each year to multiple areas she is passionate about, and says she is glad Cornell offers that ability to direct gifts to particular scholarships, clubs and colleges.
In addition to the myriad ways Morgan gives back, she makes a point of attending any Cornell events she can as a volunteer for the Cornell Club of Washington and the Cornell Hotel Society. She encourages others to attend events to make new friends and reconnect with classmates.
“I find that having the shared experience of being fellow Cornellians accelerates your friendship and camaraderie so much, it’s like you’re already starting your friendship at chapter 6,” she says.
