From Florida to Georgia and always on the sidelines, Florida State and University of Georgia graduate and journalism graduate-assistant, Karmen Morrison defines following one’s passion and letting nothing else interfere.

“I was being asked to do a lot of different interviews for my education and for sports at the time. And some were print, some were video, some were radio. And it didn’t matter what it was. I kind of just liked it. I liked the environment. And I just felt like I could do the same thing. That’s really what it was.”

Morrison is originally from Jacksonville, Florida where she won the Athlete of the Year title as a senior in high school and later obtained her bachelor’s degree from FSU where she practiced interviewing techniques, learned the ins-and-outs of journalism and explored multimedia journalism. Once she graduated, the University of Georgia began calling her name and she pursued her master’s degree as a Bulldog. In Athens, she dabbled in production all-while furthering her skills in journalism and building connections.

Throughout her career, sports, specifically women’s sports, have played a heavy role. From basketball to volleyball to flag football, she was constantly involved in athletics and once she received recognition, the interviews began.

“I was the interviewee, obviously, but I enjoyed it. It was a couple radio station interviews, things like that. And I was like, I think I could do this. So that’s probably where I got my start.”

As a high schooler tasked with the daunting job of figuring out a career, the interviewing process stood out to her. The behind-the-scenes and interactions led her to look into pursuing journalism. With her major figured out, the process of making an impact kicked off. Morrison hopes to make a mark within women’s sports and advocate for female athletes.

“Why? One, I think it’s all about equality,” said Morrison. “Representation matters. Obviously, I’m a black woman. So you got to be able to reach back and show little girls, even little boys, because I don’t think gender really matters. But you got to be able to uplift those, show them that it’s possible. I think it’s just really about representation at the end of the day.”

Morrison also took inspiration from her high school days, where she was deeply moved by the injustice she identified as a district-champion.

“So we had a pretty good football team when I was there and they would always get free shirts,” she said. “We were district champs year after year after year. And I’m like, bro, why we don’t get free shirts? What’s going on? So I think that’s one thing that irritated me. And I’m like, what’s happening? You see the disparity.”

Fueled by the injustices she faced herself, Morrison continues to show passion to raise awareness for the adversities that women face in sports regardless of which sport is actually being played. She hopes to represent collegiate athletes as they navigate the diversity they face.

“These are collegiate age women. It doesn’t have to be, but that’s what we are seeing. We don’t see as much local media on big outlets or anything like that. We’re seeing in college sports. We’re seeing in professional sports.”

From an interviewee to an interviewer, Morrison continues to work her way through the field of sports journalism, pushing herself to the frontlines as she interviews Lonnie Alameda, the renowned softball coach at FSU. She also leads summer camps at UGA, where she provides resources she wishes she had as a high schooler.

“If I had the opportunity to go to a camp like this, I would have. So for me it’s about sharing what I know to you guys, because y’all should want to be better than [I am].”

Temporarily permanent duality.

When I am not interning at a hospital or writing articles for a blog, I am usually bothering my little sister. Or rather, being bothered by her. Having a six-and-a-half year age difference often means we have some trouble communicating and understanding each other but regardless, she makes up a huge part of who I am. My instincts to care and help others came from caring and helping her as a kid and as she continues to grow, we have begun to bridge the six-year gap—so I have not only found a permanent partner-in-crime but also a best friend.

I am also constantly influenced by my motherland, however foreign it seems. Being raised in the United States since I was barely a few months old means I have little experience in India. The one time I visited that I can actually remember was unfortunately a month of constant throwing-up and jet-lag. However, one person contributed significantly to my newfound love for my country. When he began to talk about his home state in India, a fire lit up in his eyes and his voice was filled with passion. Since then, his connection to India fueled mine, leading me to ask for the first time, “Can we go to India this summer?” Unfortunately, this passion is not shared by my mother so there are no 16-hour plane tickets stored in my Wallet app, but hopefully that will change soon. Until then, dance has been establishing my connection. I practice Bhangra, a dance form that originated in the state of Punjab. It is extremely high energy and expressive and I have been practicing it for a little more than a year now. I have made many friends that connected me to my Punjabi roots, all while forming strong connections with my coaches.

While international plane tickets are quite uncommon, “across the country” seems to be a common destination for me. Since I was born, I have moved seven times from state to state, and more if in-state moves are counted. This pattern led me to develop communication skills early on and I often have little trouble making friends. However, I also developed a strong sense of independence, being an older sibling and also leaving my friends behind often. Therefore, I categorize myself as a quite open-minded and adjustable person.

Traditional art forms also deserve a honorable mention. I have been practicing multiple mediums of art since I was very little but have recently been deprived of time and inspiration to continue. Regardless, art forms a huge part of who I am and how I respond to situations. It helped me develop extreme patience as well as an ability to recover from mistakes easily with little mental toll and a lot more innovation. Other art forms also include music. I do more than enjoy music, it dictates and mirrors my feelings and helps me connect with my own emotions as well as with the person I enjoy spending time with most. We began interacting by syncing our music on Spotify and chatting through the beats, the synths, the key changes and the riffs as they rang in our ears. I have also participated in choir for the last four years, feeling the magical harmonies and chords as so many people sing together.