Ally Morgret ’18
With a passion for children, Ally Morgret ’18 planned to be an elementary school teacher. Through that passion, however, she found another calling.
She and friend Dani Kepner ’18 created Art Beyond the Classroom (ABC), an arts program for children in limiting settings. After launching ABC at Penn State Children’s Hospital, she changed her major to human development and family science (HDFS) with a minor in children and youth services.
“Doing ABC in the hospital, I saw the work of the child life specialists,” she said. “I’d never heard of that job. I realized that I wanted to work in a hospital. That was something I’d never thought of before.”
To focus on ABC and her new major, she stepped away from the field hockey team. In 2016, after years of practices, camps and living with the team, she cheered from afar. Then the Falcons won their first national championship in program history.
“I was so excited for them and proud of them,” she said. “It was a little bit hard. I wish I could’ve been a part of their awesome success, but at the same time they made me feel like I was a part of the team.”
Meanwhile, ABC expanded, adding staff and locations such as Northwestern Human Services Autism School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Morgret said one of the biggest takeaways from creating ABC is that “undergraduate” does not equal “underqualified.”
“I’m often asked the question—after mentioning that ABC’s first location was Penn State Children’s Hospital—‘Oh, how did you land that gig?’ My answer is much simpler than those who ask expect it to be: We just asked. We worked hard, got creative and leaped!” said Morgret.
In August, she returns to Penn State Children’s Hospital to begin a 160-hour child life internship—a requirement for those planning a career as a certified child life specialist.
“I’m eager to continue to pursue my dream career,” she said.