From competitive swimmer to corporate communicator, Jordan Morgan navigated choppy waters to find her true calling at the Forty Acres. After leaving home at 16 to pursue her swimming dreams, transferring schools, and ultimately returning to where she belonged, Morgan's journey embodies the resilience that defines the Longhorn spirit. Now, as she prepares to graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies this May, she carries with her not just academic credentials, but life lessons in risk-taking and perseverance that will serve her long after she leaves the Tower's shadow.
From the Golden State to the Lone Star State
Coming from Gilroy, California, Jordan’s path to The University of Texas at Austin is an unorthodox tale. Homeschooled for most of her early education, she took a bold plunge at 16, moving out of her childhood home to train in competitive swimming while completing high school online.
Nevertheless, when the time came to apply for college and launch her collegiate swimming career, she knew where to go: Austin. But despite clarity on her destination, Jordan was not without apprehension.
“I had almost no academic confidence,” Jordan said. “I did not think I was smart; I did not think I was going to do well.”
Her anxiety quickly dissolved in the supportive environment of UT Athletics, particularly through the guidance of her academic advisor, Monica Paull.
“Monica Paull was my athletics academic advisor,” Jordan said. “I met with her almost every week for a little while, and she helped me deal with studying and she pushed me into being willing to take chances, being willing to believe in myself¾to try something that I didn’t think I could do.”
Jordan would declare herself a Communications Studies major with the Moody College of Communication and swim for the Longhorns, winning two Big 12 championships for her alma mater.
Throughout her athletic career, the UT coaching staff, including Carol Capitani and Mitch Dalton, would continue supporting Jordan as she excelled in her academics and competed for the Longhorns.
Returning to Austin and Reassessing Risk
Following her sophomore year of college, Jordan transferred out of UT and moved to Dallas, seeking new opportunities at Southern Methodist University. After a single year of study there, Jordan decided it was time to rejoin the Longhorns and come home to Austin. Having undergone surgery on her shoulder and retired from competitive swimming, Jordan would return to the Forty Acres not as a student-athlete, but as a traditional student.
Though her adjustment to non-athlete student life would be a far cry from her first three years of college, she welcomed the transition with a smile. She recalls weeping with joy once she saw the University campus from Guadalupe Street after a year of being away. The moment was an acknowledgement that she arrived where was meant to be: The University of Texas.
“Leaving UT and coming back showed me that, one, I love UT,” Jordan said. “And, two, that when you have the right thing, you can come back to it. Nothing is irreversible”.
This lesson would be particularly potent in reframing Jordan’s tolerance for risk. Having successfully maneuvered through the transfer portal not once, but twice, Jordan gained confidence that professional challenges could likewise be overcome, regardless of setbacks.
“I have failed at a lot of things,” Jordan said. “The things that I have learned from those failures, I wouldn’t go back and change. You can fail; you can take risks; you can work for things that may or may not happen. Those experiences have really made me into who I am.”
Jordan started her senior year this past fall and joined a number of student organizations. In addition, her former advisor connected her with the Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDPs), through which she earned an additional certificate to complement her degree.
This spring, she is interning for NexusIgnite, a startup AI cloud service provider, as part of her BDP Connecting Experience requirement.
“Communication is vital in every single aspect of working at NexusIgnite, everything I’ve done¾from investor pitch decks to clarifying expense reports to setting up different systems in SharePoint and all of that. Everything has to communicate.”
With the experience gained from her Connecting Experience with NexusIgnite, Jordan will enter the job market with not only an exceptional education from a top university, but also technical communication skills and the adaptability forged through years of overcoming unexpected challenges.
Finding Your Way on Campus: Advice for Fellow Longhorns
For students struggling to find their place at UT, Jordan offers a simple but powerful mantra: say yes to opportunities, even if you think you might not succeed.
“When you’re given an opportunity or an event comes up or something shows up in your email, say yes,” she said. “You will not regret trying something. If it’s not for you, you can always leave.”
She continued, “I’m a very social person. I talk a lot, so I’ve been able to build my community, especially outside of athletics, by just walking up to club tables and start talking and going to mixers for my spirit org and just talking to people that I’ve never met before.”
For Jordan, stepping outside your comfort zone is essential for growth and meeting new people is not merely the consequence of an extroverted disposition, but it’s an acceptance of life’s serendipity.
“You see a lot of cool stuff when you don’t try to control everything,” she said.
As Jordan prepares to dive into her post-graduation career in corporate communications, she carries with her a powerful axiom from her former coach that guided her through undergraduate life: “This is the plan to deviate from. Nothing has to go perfectly, and nothing will go perfectly.”
With this wisdom as her compass, Jordan steps into the real world with the confidence to face any challenge and poise to seamlessly adjust her approach when necessary.
Her story reminds all Longhorns that the path to success rarely follows a straight line. Sometimes, the most rewarding destinations require changing direction, swimming against the current, and having the courage to return to waters that feel like home.
Jordan will earn her Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies (Corporate Communications track) from The University of Texas at Austin this May.
For students interested in learning more about the Bridging Disciplines Programs mentioned in this article, visit the Undergraduate College website or contact their academic advisor.