Major: English
Hometown: Bellevue, NE
Eric Morris likes to inspire and be inspired. One day, he hopes to become a renowned author, to see his novels or poetry books on shelves at Barnes & Noble or a local bookstore.
"What do I hope to accomplish? I guess bringing something new into the world that wasn’t there before.” So while he works on his craft, he’s also helping others discover their own.
Eric has seen the impact of a mentor firsthand. He’s had family, teachers and advisors he’s looked up to that have provided him guidance and helped him get from point A to point B. But the two mentors he had through Emerging Leaders—a program that supports recipients of the Nebraska Emerging Leaders Scholarship through continued success during their first year—were different.
“They were immediately there for me and they were dedicated to guiding me through all of my first semester."
After taking an interpersonal skills course and volunteering at the Lincoln Boys & Girls Club, he was even more determined to help other students through mentorship. Now, he’s coming up on his two years as a peer mentor through Emerging Leaders, helping other Huskers become comfortable and succeed through their first semester.
Through the program, the mentors take on a class of students and actually teach curriculum that revolves around understanding yourself as the leader you want to become, navigating difficult conversations with others and reflecting on values and identities.
Though he mainly teaches, Eric emphasizes the importance of connecting personally with his mentees, opening up to them and being a person they can rely on.
"There’s definitely a lot more to us, whether we’re artists, or architects, or marine biologists, or nurses, or fashion designers, or a little bit of everything. I like to think that we’re more than just one of our goals and we’re more than just one of our interests."
