Morgan Melton, (center seated) a cheerleader at Eastern Montgomery High School, signed a letter of intent Thursday to continue her cheerleading career at Emory & Henry College. Also pictured are: (from left) seated- her mother, Karla Melton and father, David Melton; standing- Eastern Montgomery Athletic Director Kirk Litton and Cheer Coah Brittany Hawley.
Morgan Melton cannot remember a time when she was not cheerleading. Thursday afternoon, the Eastern Montgomery senior signed a letter of intent that will allow her to continue cheerleading at Emory and Henry College.
She probably was leaning more toward dance when she was three years old, but a short time later Melton started cheerleading for the local recreation department. The adventure then led to eighth grade and junior varsity. She joined the varsity squad as a 10th grader.
“Being a little girl, I remember watching football with my family and being so excited when the cheerleaders came on. They looked like they were having so much fun and just loved what they were doing, not to mention how pretty they all were. I started cheering to be like them. I wanted to get a crowd excited and to have all the fun in the world by doing it. Little did I know, that 10+ years later, I would be the one cheering for a college-level team,” she said.
Growing up in such a small town like Elliston, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go out of her comfort zone and go to a bigger school or stick to what she is used to.
“After visiting a bigger school and then taking a tour of Emory & Henry, my choice was clear. Being treated like family as soon as you walk in really makes you feel welcomed and like you were truly at home,” Melton said.
On a recent trip to the southwest Virginia school, she was even given the chance to perform a dance routine at the halftime of a men’s basketball game.
She plans to major in Pre-Med, and after graduation, she plans on becoming a physician’s assistant.
In addition, at some point in her career she would also like a degree in sign language.
“I think it would be cool to communicate people to the world around them who can’t communicate already because of hearing problems,” she said.
In addition to cheerleading, she has remained involved with all types of dance ranging from hip hop to clogging with the latter where her heart lies especially when she remembers her sister who passed away last year.
“I have been a dancer for 14 years but recently decided to go into the competitive side of clogging. What keeps me dancing is my sister in heaven. She never got to walk, and unfortunately, never got to dance so I want to do it for her,” Melton said.
Her long-term goal as a person is to one day look back and say that she made her guardian angel, her sister proud.
“I want to know that I made a positive impact on the ones around me and that I taught my 6-year-old little brother core life values that he can one day be proud to teach someone else,” she concluded.