Graduate Q&A: Lucas Morgan

'The organizations I was able to participate in helped me to grow as a person'
​Jerry Poling | June 12, 2019

A Q&A with one of the 1,319 students who received a diploma May 4 at UW-Stout:

Name: Lucas Morgan
Hometown: Cameron
Major: Mechanical engineering, minor in mathematics and minor in materials science
Awards, honors: Scholar Athlete football, Co-op Student of the Year, Samuel E. Wood Medallion Award, Summa Cum Laude, Student Athlete Advisory Committee president, Stout Student Association senator

Lucas Morgan receives his diploma May 4.Why did you choose UW-Stout? I chose UW-Stout because of the major, affordability, location, environment and to play football. The decision was between Stout and Platteville, and boy am I glad I didn’t go there. If I had to do it again, I would choose Stout in a heartbeat.

What are the biggest obstacles you faced in earning your degree? Some of the biggest obstacles I faced were just juggling everything I was involved in while still doing well in each. Some specific challenges were my rigorous major; my senior capstone class, which included full documentation and building of a specific engineering project; three summer engineering internships; being a student-athlete; and blowing out my knee my sophomore year, which required two surgeries. After rehabilitation, I returned to football and tore my other ACL last fall.

What stands out among your college experiences? Football taught me a lot of great values and gave me some of the best memories and friends of my college career. The organizations I was able to participate in helped me to grow as a person, give back and prepare me for a professional environment. I also enjoyed many weekend festivities with great friends.

What’s next? I have already accepted a job with a company called Sonoco in their Global Plastics division. The plant I will be at is in Dekalb, Ill., and I will be moving there after graduation to start work in June as a manufacturing associate in their emerging leaders program. It’s about a two-year rotational and orientation period before moving up the ladder for qualified candidates right out of college. I met Sonoco recruiters at the 2018 Fall Career Fair, had an on-campus interview and then was flown out to corporate in Hartsville, S.C., for another interview before I received an offer.

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