Megan Garrett ‘19
Megan Garrett ‘19

Longwood is a place where students are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and find their passion. This week we highlight several inspiring members of the class of 2019 as part of our #HumansOfLongwood series. The stories of their goals and achievements reflect a close-knit campus community that promotes student involvement, values inclusion and nurtures leadership—in whatever form it takes.

The list of accolades Megan Garrett ‘19 collected in the waning weeks of her college career is a true testament to her commitment to citizen leadership and service during her years at Longwood.

She was honored with the SNVC Outstanding Citizen Leader Award and the Jeremy Bennett Award for Excellence in Economics — both through Longwood’s College of Business and Economics. She also received a CHI commendation and was awarded the Joan of Arc Visionary Leadership Award for “working for the common good of society through organizational involvement and campus-wide initiatives.”

Everything I’ve done at Longwood has been service-oriented and I’m ready to use that experience.

Megan Garrett ‘19 Tweet This

Garrett, a political science and economics double major, plans to carry the pillars of service and leadership she has strengthened at Longwood to her next destination—North Macedonia, where in September she will begin teaching English through the Peace Corps.

Being accepted into the Peace Corps, a volunteer organization that promotes mutual understanding between Americans and people of other cultures by providing social and economic development abroad, has been Garrett’s goal since the eighth grade. She didn’t know where exactly she wanted to go, but she knew she wanted to serve.

“I’m most excited about the new experience and being able to help people from a different part of the world,” she said. “Everything I’ve done at Longwood has been service-oriented and I’m ready to use that experience.”

While at Longwood, Garrett has been a member of the Cormier Honors College, an academic tutor for the business school and served as the first executive director for Elwood’s Cabinet, a food pantry available to Longwood students. She has been active in the Student Government Association and in the Delta Sigma Pi Business fraternity.

Garrett, a native of the Farmville area, volunteered to create an economic development position for the town of Farmville and began laying the groundwork for an economic development strategic plan.

“We’ve never had a strategic plan, so I think it’s pretty important,” she said. “I was born and raised here and I’ve seen this area’s economic need. I really want to help fix this.”

Earlier this year she interned in the office of Del. James Edmunds during the 2019 General Assembly session. She said it was an eye-opening experience to watch the legislative process up close. During the 2016 vice presidential debate that Longwood hosted, Garrett served as an intern for CNN.

“I am thankful for the faculty and staff at the College of Business and Economics and grateful for all of the professional opportunities I have been afforded at Longwood,” she said. 

After the Peace Corps, Garrett aspires to a career in public service and her goal is to run for political office one day.

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