Welcome, Blazers, to another school year! After coming out of COVID-19, there have been many changes to NDP, one of which is the new Dean of Students, Mrs. Morrison! Mrs. Morrison was originally from New Orleans and moved to Maryland when she was around three. She stayed in Maryland up until graduate school, when she attended Boston University, and stayed there until recently when she moved back.

Due to the fact that students will have many interactions with Mrs. Morrison, it seems best to get to know the person behind the position through this interview.

You said you went to Loyola for undergraduate. What did you study and how did you decide to attend Loyola?

“I applied to Loyola, Villanova, and St. Joe’s; those were the only three schools I applied to. And I knew when I got [in], it was just a gut feeling. I know I wanted to go to a Catholic college—I didn’t really know why—I just kind of knew that I did. I was a psychology major and a theology minor.”

What, if any, activities did you do in college?

“I used to laugh that my classes would get in the way because of orientation staff, and I was a retreat leader, and I sang in the chapel choir. I just did a lot of different things.”

How did you figure out you were going to go to Boston for graduate school?

“I remember senior year; I was seriously considering two options. I was either going to go to graduate school or I was going to do Jesuit Volunteer Corps which is a year-long service program. I truly don’t know what made me decide to go to graduate school.”

How did you come to Baltimore?

“I met my now husband and just stayed up there (in Boston). As the years went by, we always talked about, if we moved from Boston, where we would live. And a lot of times, when we would drive down for vacation, we would stop in Baltimore before we went to my parents’ house. It was around this past New Year’s, and we were trying to buy a house up there and it wasn’t working. And my husband looked at me and said, ‘You want to try Baltimore?’ It was one of those moments where [I] felt like this is where God was calling to me because everything just seemed to be too easy.”

Was there anything you noticed—from living in New Orleans, Boston, and Baltimore— about the areas?

“I noticed that I want to live near water, so I’ve always lived near a major body of water. The one commonality between New Orleans, Boston, and Baltimore is that the neighborhoods feel that they have very small, intimate communities within their cities. There are definitely pockets of Baltimore that I’ve seen a lot of growth in 20 years later, which has been really neat to see.”

If you could join any club at NDP, which one(s) would you join?

“So, I probably would have been a CCAP rep back in high school and even now. I can definitely say I would be involved in One Love club and Italian club for sure. The adult me would be involved in some kind of diversity, equity, and inclusion branch.”

You mentioned in your email you like to explore and hike, so what determines the best places to hike, and have you found one in Maryland yet?

“There was one weekend when my husband and I went to Gunpowder Falls State Park which we really loved. We’re definitely not mountain hikers, but we also want something more challenging than a nice stroll through the park. I love being near water, so if there’s a stream, we’re more likely to go.”

You also mentioned in your email you love to travel, so where do you like to travel and is it out of state? Out of country?

“I have traveled to Europe several times over the years, and I think that was the first time I ever truly appreciated history in Europe because it became real for me. To see the things I had studied through elementary and middle school was really neat. I also love to learn about different cultures and traditions, so when my husband and I travel, we like to explore every nook and cranny. We went to Vienna, Austria for two weeks, and within those two weeks, we were able to really get into what it’s like to live there.”

All in all, Mrs. Morrison is an adventurous spirit who has an appreciation for different areas of the world, whether across the world or across New England. She is a hard worker who also likes to explore the ins and outs of people and communities and takes the time to remember them. It was a pleasure to get to know such an intuitive soul who sits behind the desk, and I hope this will inspire some of you to get to know her, too. Welcome, Mrs. Morrison, to NDP!