Morgan Whiting ’26 lights up when she meets someone new. She smiles, makes eye contact, and is excited to hear their story. The University of St. Thomas senior’s ability to build an immediate connection comes in handy as the leader of Students for Justice and Peace, an advocacy organization working for equity and justice for all people.
Under her leadership, SFJP members have arranged campus activities to highlight injustices against marginalized groups in society. They have organized educational sessions with outside speakers and scholars. They also have joined protests and events in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
“If I want other people to care about a community, then it's vital that I care as well, and it should be obvious that I care,” Whiting said. “I think living by example is one of the best ways to promote change and be an advocate for it.”
Every year, SFJP organizes a trip to the Owámni Falling Water Festival in Mill City Park. The traditional celebration of Native American culture is filled with color, light and joy. For Whiting, the cause is personal.
Whiting is granddaughter of a member of the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota, but she first learned about her Native American identity in middle school. Her grandfather did not talk about their roots; neither did her father.
Raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as the oldest of five siblings, Whiting is grateful she is able to learn about her ancestral background. In that way, breaking the cycle for her family. She wanted to help the St. Thomas community better understand the Native American community too.
In November 2023, she invited Indigenous elder Chris Mato Nunpa, a Wahpeton Dakota from the Upper Sioux Community in southwestern Minnesota, to campus to speak to students. She had met him two months earlier at the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Wacipi during a sacred site tour sponsored by St. Thomas.
“He has opened my eyes to the truth of history,” Whiting wrote on her Facebook after the event. “I am grateful that we were able to share this untold history with my peers.”
A university built on native land, the University of St. Thomas has demonstrated a commitment to acknowledge and learn about the history of the Dakota tribe. Sacred Sites tours with the Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs have been organized by the university, offering students and faculty an opportunity to learn about the past and move together into the future.
“It was a moving experience,” said Whiting, referring to going on one of the Sacred Sites tours.
Life hasn’t always gone as Whiting planned. She grew up on the softball field with the goal of playing in college. Then suddenly, playing started hurting. Two hip surgeries later, her softball path vanished, but her goal for her bachelor’s degree did not.
The rising senior is majoring in political science and Spanish, with minors in Latin American and Caribbean studies, and in American culture and difference. In spring 2025, she studied abroad in Ireland, her first time in Europe. Her favorite memory was a trip to the Cliffs of Moher, a place famous for its gorgeous scenery. She remembers thinking: “I'm in this beautiful place. It's so green. I'm so lucky that I get to be here,” she said.
Since the eighth grade, Whiting has always worked. Studying abroad was the first time she only had school to keep her busy.
“I've had time to connect with people here and take my time with life, instead of focusing on going from one thing to the next,” she said. But back at home, she stays busy.
In the past year, she worked off campus as an assistant for Karam Law, an immigration law firm. Witnessing how the firm is aiding people in desperate situations, inspired Whiting to pursue a law degree.
Whiting also spent three years volunteering for the Civic Engagement Voter Education & Advocacy (CEVEA) task force, mobilizing civic participation on campus.
“Working alongside Morgan Whiting through CEVEA has been one of the great joys of my time at St. Thomas,” said Manuela Hill-Muñoz, director of social justice and changemaking at the Center for the Common Good. “She leads with heart and purpose, bringing both charisma and deep conviction to every conversation about justice, equity, and civic engagement. Morgan doesn’t just talk about inclusion – she lives it.”
