Green Wave Spotlight With Jordan Morling
Feb 6, 2020 | Women's Swimming and Diving
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University senior Jordan Morling took some time away from her busy schedule this week to chat with TulaneGreenWave.com about life as a student-athlete in this week's Swimming and Diving spotlight.
Can you believe this is your last AAC Conference Championship?
"No. I think I make a comment about it to my roommate, Liv, every time we're walking to practice. I'm like 'this is going the one of my last times walking down my room heading to practice, seeing teammates along the way.' It's a very odd feeling each time I walk onto the pool deck, knowing it's coming down to the last time I'll be doing that. I don't believe it, not yet."
How would you describe your four years here at Tulane?
"I have been surrounded by amazing, supportive teammates. My time here has been filled with people who are strong, determined, and lift you up with them. A huge part of my time here has been around people like that, and that's what makes Tulane so special."
What's going to be your lasting memory of Tulane?
"My lasting memory of Tulane is just being with this team. There's not one distinct memory I can pick form it, it's more the feeling of being surrounded by people that care so much about you. You're so invested in the lives of others, and you just can't get that anywhere else. The feeling of being a part of a team is what I'm going to take away from it all."
What do you think the best part about being a student-athlete is?
"It's hard, but it's definitely prepared me so much for what's coming in the future. I'm not taking the easiest route in life. I want to be a doctor, so that's going to come with a lot of hard work and obstacles ahead. I think being a student-athlete has given me what I need to accomplish that."
What was your initial reaction when you got accepted into medical school?
"The whole journey has been filled with a lot of unknowns, it's a yearlong process of applying. I actually found out while I was at our midseason meet. I dropped my bag and ran to Liv to show her my phone because I had just found out. I started crying because I didn't think it was real. My whole team surrounded me, and everyone was giving me a hug. Leah let me run up to the stands to tell my mom, so I did that. There was a lot of tears, because I didn't let myself believe that it was 100% possible for me to get into medical school. There are a lot of people that don't, so I feel very lucky that I was given the opportunity."
Where are you going to medical school?
"I still don't know. It's a really long process, so I may not even have my final decision until May or June. I've been admitted to Illinois, and I've interviewed at St. Louis and Tulane. I haven't heard back from them, and it usually takes about eight weeks for them to give you an answer. I'm into one, so that's what matters. It's been a lot more of an enjoyable process knowing that I'm into medical school next year."
What kind of medicine do you want to practice?
"A lot of people ask me that, and I'm not certain on the exact field of medicine. There's a couple that I'm interested in. I'm really passionate about serving the homeless community here in New Orleans, so I want to continue that in some way. I think through emergency medicine I could practice street medicine, which is out on the street caring for people. I also love the brain; I'm majoring in neuroscience here at Tulane. Something along the lines of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and helping people rehab from that, are also things I could be interested in."
Where do you think the desire to help others came from?
"I think it came from a lot of things in my life. I moved around a lot as a child, and I experienced a lot of different types of schools. I went to one school filled with a lot of violence, a ton of kids that were coming to school in the same clothes every day, and kids that would come back starving after holiday breaks because they didn't have enough food. Those little things along the way sat heavy on my heart. Coming here to a community of people that are so supportive of each other just gave me a chance to act on the things I'd been feeling for a long time."
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
"In 10 years, I will officially be a doctor of some sort of medicine. I hope to still be involved in the community and also have a family. I just want to keep working hard and see where it takes me. There are a lot of opportunities out there, so I'm not 100% sure where I'll be in 10 years."
What is your mindset when you compete in swimming?
"Some people say their mind goes blank, but mine certainly doesn't. My biggest hurdle in swimming was overcoming this four-year period of not achieving any best times. A lot of things brought me out of that and helped me overcome it, but a lot of it was changing my mindset to swim for the team instead of myself. For me, it's easier to step up behind the blocks and swim fast for my team than it is to put all the pressure on myself. I try to look at my team before and during my races and remember that they're what I'm swimming for."
What are you going to miss most about college?
"I will miss being a part of a team and a student-athlete, having a family in New Orleans. I think what I'll miss most will be living with my roommates, it's so crazy getting to live with three of your best friends. They see me at my best and my worst every single day. I will definitely miss living with them, that is going to be a very hard goodbye."
What's the best piece of advice you can give an incoming freshman?
"I think a lot of people say it, but it's just to enjoy it. Really cherish the moments when you're laughing with your friends and you're at your happiest, those are the things that you're going to look back on. Right now we have a memory jar in our room, and we've been writing down really funny memories that we have, and we've been reliving those. It's the small things like the inside jokes that help you get through the hard times as a student-athlete. Just cherish those friends and those memories."
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