Story by Natalie Kientzy

Advisor by day, student by night. That’s the life Taylor Morrow leads as he balances his duties as a senior academic advisor at the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business with his studies in the College of Health Sciences’ Master of Social Work program.  

Morrow has worked as an advisor at the University of Missouri since 2021, but his experiences at Mizzou date back to his bachelor’s degree in international studies from 2017. After completing his undergraduate studies, he began working as an admissions evaluator. Since transitioning to an advising position, Morrow is busy advising students on their degree requirements and coordinating graduation for the College of Business.  

“I really love my job working with young adults and college students,” he said. “It’s a wonderful group to be around.”  

Morrow said the highlight of his time as an advisor was his involvement with the Heartland Scholars Academy. Within the program, he serves as a dedicated advisor to first-generation students from rural backgrounds in Missouri and Illinois.  

“I’m their touchpoint for all things academic and resource-wise across campus,” Morrow said. 

Morrow’s studies in the Master of Social program have allowed him to evaluate and improve his work within the Heartland Scholars program.  

“A large part of my master’s program devotes itself to bringing equity and resources to underrepresented individuals,” Morrow said. “I’ve been able to apply a lot of what I’m learning in the program to the classroom when working with these students.” 

While Morrow was interested in getting a graduate degree — watching his close friends Leilani and Ryan Tiefenthaler pursue their master’s degrees motivated him — he wasn’t immediately sure what he wanted to study. Taking inspiration from his psychologist father, Morrow looked at various programs offered by MU, but he ultimately decided the online Master of Social Work program was best for him because of the flexibility it offered. 

“Being able to do six hours only, part-time, there was no class time I had to be at during the day,” he said. “It just made a lot of sense.”  

Balancing the workload of a full-time advisor with his studies isn’t always easy, but Morrow said he’s been able to do it thanks to the support of his co-workers and the flexible nature of the online MSW program.  

After earning his master’s degree, Morrow hopes to continue his work for the university.  

“While it’s not identical, there’s a lot of crossover with advising and the kind of services you provide as a social worker,” he said. “So the goal is to look for other opportunities [as a social worker], but I’m also happy to continue working as an advisor if an opportunity doesn’t present itself immediately.”