Emma Morgan-Bennett '12

Emma Morgan-Bennett '12 is another MCS alum whose hard work has put her at the top of her class. In December 2019, she was named a Marshall Scholar by the British Consulate. "Morgan-Bennett is one of just 46 students from around the U.S. this year to receive the highly selective honor, which invites burgeoning leaders to embark on graduate studies in the U.K. She will pursue a masters in anthropology of media and intensive language at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Morgan-Bennett’s application for the Marshall stemmed directly from her thesis: the written and visual ethnography The Black Maternal Health Crisis and Radical Doulas."

She is thrilled to continue her studies and experience life in a new country. “As a born and raised New Yorker, I think committing to 2-3 years outside of the United States is simultaneously intimidating and also exactly the challenge that will help me grow as an engaged global citizen,” she says. “An incredible mix of both studies and adventures.”

Outside of school, she is also looking forward to what the U.K.'s music and art scene has to offer. "Those interests align with Morgan-Bennett’s time in the [Swarthmore] College's artistic community. She sings in a band called Funk the Patriarchy, has acted in student plays, and produced Swarthmore’s first annual RevFest, a visual and performing arts exhibition created by and for the College’s artists of color."

"Morgan-Bennett is also a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, and has served as an Advocate for Diversity in the athletics department and a member of the Title IX Hiring Committee, among other honors and activities at Swarthmore." Read more about Emma and this honor at Swarthmore.edu.

Back in 2016, as a student at Bard High School Early College, Emma and her fellow classmate, Kai Williams '12, were frustrated with the lack of performance opportunities for actors of color. In response, the two MCS alumnae consolidated their passions for social justice and theater by co-founding Eat At The Table Theatre Company (E.A.T.T.). Through this nonprofit theater company, the pair aims to fulfill the goals of an affinity theater—providing space to celebrate, recreate and generate theater for youth of color in New York City. The organization started in early 2015 and has performed at multiple educational venues, including a fundraising benefit that took place at none other than Manhattan Country School. In Spring 2016, E.A.T.T. perform its first original production!

She has served on Bard’s School Leadership Team and has been involved in the activist community since her time at Manhattan Country School. Emma was elected president of Bard’s feminist club, STAGE (Students Taking Action for Gender Equity), and organized the group’s participation in the viral Who Needs Feminism project, as well the citywide high school conference, Teens Talk Feminism. She is the founder of Bard’s Black Student Alliance and was a leading student organizer during the Black Lives Matter movement. Inn 2015, she organized a teach-in at Bard entitled, BHSEC Community Day Teach-in: Race, Identity, and Activism. As a varsity athlete, she has captained both her volleyball and track teams.

Back