ECHS@MC graduate returns to teach and inspireAugust 17, 2023

“When I was a child, my mother was very worried about me because I was so terribly shy,” Lacy Morrow explained.  “In today’s world, I think I would have been diagnosed with social anxiety.”

Now, having obviously overcome her awkward shyness, the 25-year-old Midland native is a high school teacher and adjunct college professor.  

Morrow said that in 2011 her shyness prompted her family into exploring the possibility of her attending Early College High School at Midland College (ECHS@MC).

“My mother knew that I would probably be miserable in a large high school,” she said.  “I was never a great student, but I probably would have been very unsuccessful in a traditional, big high school. So, when I was in the 8th grade and learned about the opportunity to attend ECHS@MC and take advantage of earning an associate degree by the time I graduated from high school, at no cost to my family, it was a pretty easy decision that I should definitely apply.”

Morrow was accepted into the Midland ISD high school on the Midland College campus and began a four-year journey to become an assertive, confident and independent young woman.  

“The whole time I was in elementary school and junior high, the teachers never paid much attention to me,” she said.  “I was an average learner and the shy girl who didn’t say much.  Most of my teachers didn’t take the time to get to know me or ask how I was doing.  At ECHS@MC, it was a completely different experience.

“I remember my 9th grade English teacher Genevra Miller told me, ‘In order to write well, you have to be well-read.’  Those words stuck with me, and I suddenly started reading all types of literature.

“During the summer when I was 16, I took English composition at Midland College.  My older brother had just passed away, and I really didn’t have much interest in anything, especially going to school; however, I went through the motions.  I can’t even tell you who was the professor.  What I do remember is learning to effectively communicate, and I discovered that I had a talent for writing.”

Morrow explained that during her sophomore year at ECHS@MC, she took British Literature with Allison Gibbons-Brown.  The class gave her a continued desire to study literature, and Gibbons-Brown became a role model and is now a close friend.

“Allison is an amazing teacher and her independence and self-confidence were truly inspiring,” Morrow stated.  “Even after I finished the course, we continued to stay in touch, and the summer before my senior year at ECHS@MC, she recommended me to attend a creative writing camp at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.  That was an awesome experience for me.”

By the time she was a high school senior, Morrow had overcome her extreme shyness and was a student leader at ECHS@MC.  She served as President of the Student Council, a Senior Ambassador and a student journalist for the Midland College newspaper.

In 2016, Morrow graduated from both Midland College with an associate degree and from high school at ECHS@MC.  She then attended Angelo State University (ASU), having been awarded several scholarships, including ASU’s Carr Scholarship.  In May 2018, she graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in English.  

“I didn’t want to just major in English—I wanted to teach English,” Morrow said.  “I love sharing my passion for writing and literature with students, and I try to let all my students know that they are important.”

In 2020, she obtained a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from ASU, and this month she completed a second master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction.

“I couldn’t resist the opportunity to return to Midland and be close to family, and especially the opportunity to return to ECHS@MC!  I am now teaching 9th-grade English in the same classroom where I took 9th-grade English and learned from Ms. Miller that ‘in order to write well, one must be well-read.’  I tell my students those exact same words.”

In addition, for a little over a year, she has been an adjunct English professor at Midland College and is able to share her passion for writing with college students, as well.  

In April of this year, Morrow became engaged to be married and purchased a home.  In her spare time, she enjoys painting and playing with her two rescue dogs.  She is an avid dog rescue advocate and supporter.

Overall, Morrow believes that “education is the one thing the world can never be taken away from you.”