Oct. 16, 2025 SHARE: When Eli Morgan first filled out his Campus Rec application to get involved at Houston Christian University, he thought he was signing up to play intramurals, not work them. “I thought I was just applying to participate,” he laughed. That accidental application turned out to be anything but a mistake. Today, as a senior Sports Management major from Beaumont, Texas, Eli has transformed from a homesick freshman into a confident leader who supervises campus recreation events, serves as a peer mentor and dreams of becoming a coach who impacts lives. Eli’s journey reveals how sometimes the best paths are the ones we stumble upon, and how the right community can turn uncertainty into purpose. When Eli first arrived at HCU, drawn by the sports management program and promises of abundant post-grad opportunities in Houston, the transition wasn’t easy. Beaumont isn’t exactly across the state, but leaving home still hit harder than he expected. “I definitely got homesick freshman year,” he recalls. What kept him grounded was the supportive environment HCU offered. “Being able to make mistakes but also having people there to help me learn from them and build better habits, that has been huge,” he shared. Through ups and downs, friendships forming and fading, Eli has found his footing. Sometimes we need others to see our potential before we can see it ourselves. For Eli, that person was Professor Ed Borges, who taught his First Year Seminar course. Eli remembers Professor Borges saying, “Eli, you have a natural talent, you are a natural leader. You’re going to go very far.” Those words became a lifeline Eli would return to again and again, especially in moments of self-doubt. But Professor Borges wasn’t just a cheerleader, he was a constant presence. “All four years, he has always been willing to help,” Eli says. That consistency mattered more than any single pep talk. Eli’s own peer mentors during his freshman year left an equally profound mark.They guided him through the rocky high school-to-college transition, and when he was asked to become a peer mentor himself during his junior year, the full circle clicked into place.”I thought to myself, that would be another great opportunity for me to influence freshmen and help them through that rough transition from high school to college,” he explains. Having walked that difficult path himself made him the perfect guide for others navigating the same terrain. For Eli, leadership didn’t come without its own set of battles, especially the ones fought internally. As someone who admittedly gets “very hot-headed” when playing sports, Eli faced a unique challenge: supervising intramural games while remaining completely impartial. “Being a ref versus being a player and separating those two was a very difficult thing,” he admits. The lines could blur fast, emotions running high on the court. But his deeper struggle was internal: “That feeling of, ‘I’m not worthy to teach or lead these people if I myself have made so many mistakes,'” Eli confesses. Imposter syndrome hits the hardest when we’re doing something that matters. For Eli, the antidote came through two sources: faith and community. “I definitely have to lean back on my faith and knowing that God created me how he wanted, and these mistakes I have made were not by accident,” he says. “They were designed and he is using them to build me into a better leader.” The lesson that emerged became his foundation: “Don’t let your mistakes define you, and do not let what others say about you affect how you think or how you act … You’re not going to be able to impact everyone, but it only takes one minute to impact someone’s life. You never know who is watching you as a leader. “What surprised Eli most about student leadership was how different it looked from what he’d imagined. He’d always thought of leadership as hierarchical, but HCU’s approach gives him room to take initiative, to make calls, to occasionally mess up, all while knowing he has a supportive team behind him. “Having people who are going to back you up when you make that call, even if others don’t agree with you, is huge to me,” he shares. This collaborative model of leadership has prepared Eli for his future in ways that a traditional boss-employee relationship never could. He’s learned that one size never fits all when it comes to leadership. Among all of his responsibilities, Eli has found his favorite task to be emceeing Husky Howls, HCU’s pep rally events. “Getting to be myself, just having fun, getting the crowd hyped for sporting events, it’s been my favorite,” he says. There is something so freeing about being able to channel all your energy into creating a positive space where people can come together and build community through shared excitement. It’s leadership without the weight of responsibility, joy in its purest form. This role fits perfectly with Eli’s philosophy, “You’ve got to go all out in whatever you do, every day, no matter what. Even if you think you are going to embarrass yourself, you’ve just got to have fun.” When asked how student leadership has changed his college experience, Eli doesn’t hesitate. “Being a student leader has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone,” he says. But more than that, it provided continuity when other things began to fall apart. “Even when I felt like I didn’t have friends, my coworkers and the people that supervised me were constantly encouraging me.” Student leadership became the thread that held Eli’s college experience together, keeping him engaged when he might have otherwise felt withdrawn. “It kept me from isolating myself and wasting my college experience,” he says. Now as Eli prepares to graduate and step into the coaching world, he has clear advice for freshmen considering getting involved on campus. “I would definitely say to get involved on campus. It can be one of the most influential and most important parts of your college career,” he urges. “You only get one time in college, so take that chance and run with it.” The opportunities are endless, he promises, but only if you are willing to step forward and grab them. Eli Morgan came to Houston Christian University hoping for a great education in a field he is passionate about, but he is leaving with so much more: leadership skills forged through trial and error, a community that lifted him up when he needed it most, and mentors who saw his potential before he knew it and a clear sense of calling. “Being a student leader, for me personally, is a great privilege,” he reflects. It turns out that accidental application was exactly what Eli needed. And for the countless students he has impacted along the way, and the many more he is sure to inspire as a coach, we are all grateful he checked the wrong box.
“I thought I was just applying to participate,” he laughed. That accidental application turned out to be anything but a mistake. Today, as a senior Sports Management major from Beaumont, Texas, Eli has transformed from a homesick freshman into a confident leader who supervises campus recreation events, serves as a peer mentor and dreams of becoming a coach who impacts lives. Eli’s journey reveals how sometimes the best paths are the ones we stumble upon, and how the right community can turn uncertainty into purpose. When Eli first arrived at HCU, drawn by the sports management program and promises of abundant post-grad opportunities in Houston, the transition wasn’t easy. Beaumont isn’t exactly across the state, but leaving home still hit harder than he expected. “I definitely got homesick freshman year,” he recalls. What kept him grounded was the supportive environment HCU offered. “Being able to make mistakes but also having people there to help me learn from them and build better habits, that has been huge,” he shared. Through ups and downs, friendships forming and fading, Eli has found his footing. Sometimes we need others to see our potential before we can see it ourselves. For Eli, that person was Professor Ed Borges, who taught his First Year Seminar course. Eli remembers Professor Borges saying, “Eli, you have a natural talent, you are a natural leader. You’re going to go very far.”
Those words became a lifeline Eli would return to again and again, especially in moments of self-doubt. But Professor Borges wasn’t just a cheerleader, he was a constant presence. “All four years, he has always been willing to help,” Eli says. That consistency mattered more than any single pep talk. Eli’s own peer mentors during his freshman year left an equally profound mark.They guided him through the rocky high school-to-college transition, and when he was asked to become a peer mentor himself during his junior year, the full circle clicked into place.”I thought to myself, that would be another great opportunity for me to influence freshmen and help them through that rough transition from high school to college,” he explains. Having walked that difficult path himself made him the perfect guide for others navigating the same terrain. For Eli, leadership didn’t come without its own set of battles, especially the ones fought internally. As someone who admittedly gets “very hot-headed” when playing sports, Eli faced a unique challenge: supervising intramural games while remaining completely impartial. “Being a ref versus being a player and separating those two was a very difficult thing,” he admits. The lines could blur fast, emotions running high on the court. But his deeper struggle was internal: “That feeling of, ‘I’m not worthy to teach or lead these people if I myself have made so many mistakes,'” Eli confesses. Imposter syndrome hits the hardest when we’re doing something that matters. For Eli, the antidote came through two sources: faith and community. “I definitely have to lean back on my faith and knowing that God created me how he wanted, and these mistakes I have made were not by accident,” he says. “They were designed and he is using them to build me into a better leader.” The lesson that emerged became his foundation: “Don’t let your mistakes define you, and do not let what others say about you affect how you think or how you act … You’re not going to be able to impact everyone, but it only takes one minute to impact someone’s life. You never know who is watching you as a leader. “What surprised Eli most about student leadership was how different it looked from what he’d imagined. He’d always thought of leadership as hierarchical, but HCU’s approach gives him room to take initiative, to make calls, to occasionally mess up, all while knowing he has a supportive team behind him. “Having people who are going to back you up when you make that call, even if others don’t agree with you, is huge to me,” he shares. This collaborative model of leadership has prepared Eli for his future in ways that a traditional boss-employee relationship never could. He’s learned that one size never fits all when it comes to leadership. Among all of his responsibilities, Eli has found his favorite task to be emceeing Husky Howls, HCU’s pep rally events. “Getting to be myself, just having fun, getting the crowd hyped for sporting events, it’s been my favorite,” he says. There is something so freeing about being able to channel all your energy into creating a positive space where people can come together and build community through shared excitement. It’s leadership without the weight of responsibility, joy in its purest form. This role fits perfectly with Eli’s philosophy, “You’ve got to go all out in whatever you do, every day, no matter what. Even if you think you are going to embarrass yourself, you’ve just got to have fun.” When asked how student leadership has changed his college experience, Eli doesn’t hesitate. “Being a student leader has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone,” he says. But more than that, it provided continuity when other things began to fall apart. “Even when I felt like I didn’t have friends, my coworkers and the people that supervised me were constantly encouraging me.” Student leadership became the thread that held Eli’s college experience together, keeping him engaged when he might have otherwise felt withdrawn. “It kept me from isolating myself and wasting my college experience,” he says. Now as Eli prepares to graduate and step into the coaching world, he has clear advice for freshmen considering getting involved on campus. “I would definitely say to get involved on campus. It can be one of the most influential and most important parts of your college career,” he urges. “You only get one time in college, so take that chance and run with it.” The opportunities are endless, he promises, but only if you are willing to step forward and grab them. Eli Morgan came to Houston Christian University hoping for a great education in a field he is passionate about, but he is leaving with so much more: leadership skills forged through trial and error, a community that lifted him up when he needed it most, and mentors who saw his potential before he knew it and a clear sense of calling. “Being a student leader, for me personally, is a great privilege,” he reflects. It turns out that accidental application was exactly what Eli needed. And for the countless students he has impacted along the way, and the many more he is sure to inspire as a coach, we are all grateful he checked the wrong box.
