Morgan Rizzo ’23 becomes social media and marketing manager

Morgan Rizzo ’23, who received her degree in English communications and creative writing with a minor in marketing, has started her dream role as a social media and marketing manager for A.T.Y. Hospitality — a food and beverage management company with multiple bakeries in Mystic, Connecticut.

While at A.T.Y. Hospitality, Rizzo plans to put the skills she’s learned at Salve Regina to use as she’s tasked with communication, marketing and branding needs.

From the very first day on campus to walking across the stage in May 2023, Rizzo attributes her new role to the connections she’s made and the experiences she’s had at Salve Regina.

Discovering her talent for writing

Rizzo began her journey at Salve Regina majoring in education. While she always had a passion for writing, it wasn’t until sitting down with Sister Elizabeth McAuliffe, known to many on campus as “Sister Betty,” that she discovered her talent could move beyond a hobby.

“She took me to lunch, I showed her my writing, and she told me I was in the wrong department,” described Rizzo. “I will never forget that lunch.”

Now in the Department of English Communications and Media, Rizzo found that the diverse courses being offered helped in fostering her niche. Ranging from social media to videography to journalism, being able to explore numerous communication fields showed Rizzo what was possible.

A community like no other

With only around 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students at Salve Regina, the departments are even smaller and more personal. In Rizzo’s experience, the professors are not just teachers, but they feel like family.

“I have gotten close with many professors who know much more about you than just your name and grade,” said Rizzo.

Rizzo recalls Dr. Donna Harrington-Lueker, professor in the Department of English Communications and Media, as someone who aided in her journey to A.T.Y. Hospitality and nurtured her talent for writing. Rizzo took the course on feature writing with Dr. Harrington-Lueker that teaches students how to write a variety of feature news pieces, while also honing in on their interviewing and reporting skills.

It was during this course in which Rizzo was assigned a Q&A piece where she interviewed Ebbie Young, the owner of Sift Bake Shop. After reading this Q&A piece submitted by Rizzo, Dr. Harrington-Lueker submitted the story to Shannon Cushing ’05, former editor of The Day Magazine, for publication.

“The story not only got published, but it was the cover story for the February edition, and I am forever thankful to Dr. Harrington-Lueker for believing in me and my writing,” exclaimed Rizzo. “Since then, I have been freelancing for the magazine and enjoy doing it.”

Rizzo also spent a lot of time as a work study student for Salve Regina’s Office of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs, helping with a variety of tasks like social media, writing and reporting. All of these different opportunities enabled her to refine the skillsets she’d need to move forward into a career in communications.

Rizzo once participated in a student takeover of Salve Regina’s Instagram account.

Looking ahead

Moving the tassel on her graduation cap from right to left this May will not be the end of Rizzo’s higher education career. Rizzo one day plans to head back to school to obtain her master’s degree in the field of communications, and she eventually wants to go on to obtain a doctoral degree.

“I enjoy the field so much, and I can see myself continuing in this path towards education,” said Rizzo. “One day, once I have more experience under my belt, it would be awesome to teach at the university level.”

While her time at Salve Regina is coming to an end, the experiences she has had here will live on in every aspect of her life.

“You meet so many classmates and professors that you learn and grow with throughout your four years here,” explained Rizzo. “I will cherish these friendships and memories forever.”

For more Class of 2023 stories, go here.

This story was written by student writer Catherine Dolan ’23

Salve Spotlights is a series of people-centered stories periodically featured on SALVEtoday. Check out the tag Salve Spotlights for more stories.