BEMIDJI — One student taking part in BSU’s graduation commencement already has started working on his dream.
Jordan Morgan graduated last December with a double major in environmental studies and sociology and a minor in sustainability. He’ll walk at Friday’s ceremony, but he’s already been working at an environmental nonprofit and a Bemidji-area homeless shelter.
Morgan, 23, will start studying for a master’s degree in public policy next fall at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
He hopes to help craft a national energy policy that addresses climate change and nudges the power grid toward solar, wind and other renewable resources. He said he’s particularly passionate about installing energy systems that make sense for their locale — solar arrays might work well in the Arizona desert, for instance, but wind turbines might be more practical in Midwestern states such as Minnesota.
“We really do need a new wave of environmental policy, of leaders that are focusing on that,” Morgan said. “How do we build a grid to support renewables, not the other way around?”
He hopes to someday be appointed to a government job or maybe even run for public office himself. In the meantime, he’s got a part-time gig at MN350, a St. Paul-based chapter of a national environmental advocacy organization that hopes to open a regional office in Bemidji. Morgan goes door-to-door talking to homeowners about the Enbridge Line 3 oil pipeline replacement plan, collecting signatures for a petition and referring people to the nonprofit’s legal team if necessary.
“If you see a government system and someone needs to fix it, you ain’t gonna get anywhere if you just keep saying, ‘Someone needs to fix it,’” Morgan said. “Eventually you need to just say, ‘How am I going to help fix this?’”
But Morgan’s future wasn’t always so bright. His dad moved away, his mom struggled with mental illness, and Morgan found himself homeless at 18. He lived in a friend’s basement and couch-surfed during his senior year at St. Peter High School. A high school guidance counselor saw Morgan’s potential and the two worked for weeks to find scholarships so Morgan could go to college.
“I just want to make an impact,” Morgan said. “I see a problem and I want to spend my life doing work I love and creating the change that I would like to see in this world.”
BSU and Northwest Technical College both will celebrate their graduates with commencement ceremonies held Friday at the Sanford Center.
Bemidji State BSU commencement ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. A pre-ceremony concert will begin at 1 p.m. The ceremony typically lasts about two hours. Commencement guests should enter the Sanford Center through Gate 2, through the main concourse.
The commencement is free and open to the public. No tickets are required; seating is general admission. Parking is free and approximately 1,000 spots are available in the main parking lot. Carpooling is encouraged to minimize overflow parking on the streets.
The commencement address will be delivered by Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Anne K. McKeig, recipient of BSU’s 2017 Distinguished Minnesotan award.
Northwest Technical CollegeNTC’s commencement ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. at the Sanford Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Same protocol as BSU ceremony. NTC’s Commencement address will be delivered by Mary L. Miller, executive director of clinic operations for Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota.