Morgan Cope Scholarship Recipients
Sarah Smith
2021 Morgan Cope "For the Love of Music" Scholarship recipient
Sarah Smith is an honors music and psychology student at WSU, currently studying in her senior year. Sarah is originally from Denver, Colorado. Her mother and grandmother are also singers, and for her recital, Sarah plans to sing a piece her grandmother also performed for her senior vocal recital in 1968. Sarah has been involved in music since she was ten years old, taking voice lessons and participating in choir and theater.
Sarah chose WSU for its strong sense of community and the supportive faculty, originally intending to major in psychology. Her freshman year, Sarah joined the WSU Treble Choir and Dr. Agulay’s voice studio, and she was soon inspired to pursue a second degree in music. Since then, Sarah has also participated in WSU’s Concert Choir and Opera Workshop and has enjoyed her diverse course load between music and psychology.
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Studying music has been the utmost privilege and value to Sarah, and she can’t imagine her WSU experience without the School of Music. After WSU, Sarah plans to attend graduate school and enter the field of social work or mental health counseling, yet she plans for music to play an additional centerpiece in her life. Receiving the Morgan Cope “For the Love of Music” Scholarship has been an honor for Sarah, and she is so grateful to the Cope family and their supporters!
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Corey Gardner
2022 Morgan Cope "For the Love of Music" Scholarship recipient
Congratulations to this year’s recipient of the Morgan Cope “For the Love of Music” scholarship Corey Gardner. Corey was the first name that each of the faculty thought of as he brings a love of music and joy to everything he does. Corey is an Army veteran, having served in Afghanistan. He is a wonderful composer but also studies voice, participating in Concert Choir and Opera Workshop. Corey is a leader in the School of Music, but also serves the vets on campus in a leadership position.
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I want to thank Dr. Julie Wieck and the rest of the faculty that arranged for this year’s presentation at Vocal Extravaganza. Dr. Wieck told me that Morgan holds a special place in their hearts and she remembers Morgan loving Halloween and helping with makeup on the Addams Family production.
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I also want to thank Steve Koleszar and Raise for Rowyn for their ongoing support of Morgan’s endowment that makes this all possible.
Previous Years
Morgan Karlee Cope arrived in this world unexpectedly. She was small, frail, and weighed only two pounds nine ounces arriving ten weeks before she was expected. Morgan was small but powerful and she brightened our world for a brief 20 years, leaving us as unexpectedly as she arrived.
From the time Morgan was a little girl she had a deep love of music and began to sing at an early age. She had confidence and enjoyed making people smile through music. Morgan began singing with the Tacoma Youth Chorus, acting and singing Missoula Children's Theater and being a part of “The Adams Family” musical at WSU. Morgan shared her gift of music and her passion for life with all of those around her.
Morgan's Story
The presentation of the Morgan Cope "For the Love of Music" scholarship to Kiana Burt by Morgan's father Chuck Cope
Morgan had a Servant's Heart and a strong faith in God. She found the good in everyone and made it a point to reach out to those overlooked or mistreated. She lived her life as He commanded "Love Him with all your heart, mind and soul and to love others as yourself". She was involved in church youth ministries, plays & programs, missions to Mexico, volunteering for Fright Factory in Buckley, and volunteering in the nursery at the church she attended. Morgan knew what it meant to love Jesus and to love others as Jesus commanded us to do.
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Thoroughly enjoying her school years, Morgan played volleyball, softball, ran track/cross-country, and was very active in choir, drama, FFA and AVID. She graduated in June of 2014 from White River High School and continued on to attend Washington State University, following in her family’s footsteps, where she took music classes and her general university requirements. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority, the WSU Choir and was loved by her teachers and classmates alike.
The Morgan Cope "For the Love of Music" scholarship fund also supports the Tacoma Youth Choir
Morgan was called to heaven on November 22nd, 2015 in a head-on car collision while on her way home from college for Thanksgiving. Far too soon for all of us who loved her! We grieve because we miss her dearly. We miss our little star that brightened our night sky through her voice, laughter, smile and beautiful spirit. We know she is home with Jesus, her grandfathers and all those that loved her and have left this world.
Morgan’s life may have been short, but she lived it well and left such a beautiful legacy. Until we see you again Morgan, we love and miss you!
Geoff Soderquist, the winner of the Callaway driver raffle, with his new prize at the 2020 RFR Golf Tournament
