Ep.37 | Morgan Menichini – From ‘educating’ to ‘effecting change’

Kicking off the second conversation in this season, I am excited to share someone near and dear to my heart, my son’s 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Morgan Menichini. A Dallas Native, Morgan now lives in Austin with her husband Garrett, where you will find her cheering loud and proud for the Red Raiders every chance she gets.  A devoted teacher, a successful entrepreneur, a barre instructor, a committed wife and a loving friend, she is passionate about spreading God’s love to everyone she encounters. 
A natural-born encourager, it is easy to understand why Morgan became a teacher. Today she shares more about what led her to that decision and talks about the difficulties and changes she has faced as an educator throughout COVID. Listening to her heart for her students and the deep commitment she carries in response to the role she plays in each of their lives is touching and quite frankly very humbling. She believes what every student needs most is “connection and relationship” with their teacher, a responsibility and privilege she doesn’t take lightly. We talk a lot about the limitations presented through distance learning and her concerns of being able to provide a positive and effective learning environment for each of her students, amidst the constantly evolving needs presented by COVID. Her outlook is honest and refreshing, leaving each of us with a beautiful reminder of how amazing teachers truly are. 
As if navigating her entire career being turned inside out mid-semester wasn’t enough, Morgan also embarked on the personal journey of publicly acknowledging her experience living as a woman of color. Morgan shares her journey, walking us through some of the personal prejudices she faced growing up in a biracial home and has continued to encounter as a biracial woman. Listening to her share what it has been like trying to figure out “where she fit” was humbling and made me even more aware of the role I play in helping advocate for racial equality and unity in my community and beyond; especially amidst the racial tension we are walking through as a country. 
Morgan’s desire to spark joy, speak truth and spread love has always been evident in the hand-lettered goods and gifts she sells at Menichini Lettering Co, but over the last few months, she is learning even more about what it means to use her voice to advocate for justice and change. Morgan says she feels a responsibility, first and foremost as a Christ-follower, but also as a biracial woman to speak truth, stand for justice and advocate for change. Having witnessed first hand the racial discrimination her own father and brother have experienced, she understands the importance of standing up and speaking out against racism. Her hope is to provide others with the same confidence and courage so that together we can work towards a world where there is truly liberty and justice for all. 
It is a conversation filled with grace and mercy, as Morgan leads us through some hard and uncomfortable topics, highlighting the beauty in our differences and encouraging us to celebrate the unique and wonderful perspectives provided through diversity. Her encouragement to each of us through this tough season of COVID is contagious and will leave you inspired to call a teacher and tell them thank you for embracing the hard, as they empower the next generation of learners and beyond.