Morgan
“Act every single day to build a life that’s positive, productive and progressive. ”
Morgan is wonderfully inviting, genuine, and exceptionally loyal. In the face of tragedy and loss, she has been a pillar of strength — always finding a reason to laugh and a silver lining in life’s bleakness. Morgan sees the best in others and loves them through and through, as she does her New York Rangers. Meet Morgan. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
M: To be completely honest, I was never good at describing myself to people. This probably stems back to high school and college when teachers would make the whole class do ice breakers; they always made you state your name, age and one interesting fact about yourself. But to be completely honest, I never thought I was that interesting and I could never think of a fun fact about myself. I also resented this questions because I felt as though people would judge me. But recently I have had a new mindset, so here goes nothing…
They say that the first impression lasts a lifetime, so what better way to let people remember you than to give them an amusing, ridiculous, and striking introduction of yourself that they won’t forget anytime soon. Here are a few “facts about me” and sayings that are quirky and fun. Take a peek!
To start, hi… I am Morgan Wolf and I am 24 years old. I’m a younger sister to a kind hearted, smart older sister, and a daughter to two amazing parents. I am just trying to figure myself out one day at a time. I was born and raised in Fairfield, CT but now live in NYC with one of my best friends from college, Mackenzie Walsh.
I’m a wine enthusiast!! If you are ever coming to a house warming of mine, a bottle (or two lol) is the perfect gift!! And if we want to get specific, I enjoy Pinot Grigio, Sancerre, and Sauvignon Blanc for whites and Cabernet for reds! Wine is also a seasonal thing for me. In the summer/spring, I enjoy a cold white wine and in the winter/fall, I prefer a full bodied red wine.
If I had to describe myself, it would be: “bad at following directions.” I could have a GPS going and still add on 45 minutes by taking 200 wrong turns. Also, not to mention, I am a terrible driver!! But before you say no to getting into a car with me, you should know I have never killed anyone!! I just have a heavy foot LOL.
I know exactly what I want for dinner. I’ve been thinking about dinner since I finished lunch. But some of my favorite foods include sushi and pizza. Food is always on my mind and I get “hangry” easily.
Last but not least, I am obsessed with astrology and 100% believe in it. Can you guess my sign with how much I just spoke about myself? Heck yeah, that’s right, I’m a Leo. BIG LEO ENERGY!!
Yeah. That’s pretty much it! I think the above pretty much describes me perfectly. I’ve never really taken the time to reflect on my positive qualities, but it is so important to do so and I’m so glad I just shared that with you all!
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
M: I actually skipped this question because I had the hardest time coming up with an answer. Isn’t it funny how we can think a million different things we don’t like about ourselves but when it comes down naming a singular thing we like, we struggle? Well I finally thought of something not only I like, but LOVE, about myself and that is that I’m a great conversationalist.
Being a good conversationalist is important — be it in business, social situations or dating. Whenever I meet new people, I find the quality of our encounter is tied to two things: 1) the compatibility of our values, and 2) or conversational skills. I have met people who are great conversationalists and we hit it off immediately, with endless things to talk about. I have also come in contact with people who are difficult to converse with. I would ask several questions which are returned with single word responses which eventually leads to long pauses. Can you say AWKWARD???? Although conversing with them can be quite painful, I always took pride in keeping the conversation going even if it’s the world’s most boring conversation. Also, having a drink or two can help take the edge off lol. I find myself starting random conversations with the guy checking out in front of me at the grocery store, or the girl sitting next to me at on the airplane. The point of this story is, I can start a conversation no matter where I am or who I am with. I think that is a quality I picked up from my dad. I’d say it’s a pretty good one, eh?
While there is much for me to learn in communication, I’ve been told by friends, acquaintances, and coworkers that they enjoy speaking to me, and they find themselves sharing personal things that they don’t share with others. This is such a great feeling given that communication skills are a must-have in today’s world.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
M: Yes, yes, and did I say yes?
When I was 20 years old, I was studying abroad in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy. I was doing all kinds of things girls my age would have dreamt of — I was traveling all around Europe, learning a new language, drinking lots of wine, talking to cute Italian boys and eating lots and lots of pasta. I think I ate so much Gnocchi that I thought I was going to come back a literal potato and my mom was going to have to roll me out of the airport. Similar to most, towards the end of the trip I was getting home sick. I missed my friends, the dirty streets of NYC, and most importantly, my family.
My family had a trip booked at the end of the semester to come visit me in Florence. I remember the exact date they were supposed to arrive, May 17th. I was going to show them the streets of Florence, my favorite restaurants, and just overall show them why Florence is one of the most amazing cities in the world. After that, we were going to travel to the French Rivera and vacation there for a few days. It wasn’t until I received a phone call on May 6th from my mom saying that my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma brain cancer and that they weren’t going to be able to visit me abroad. Instead, they immediately flew me home so I could spend every waking moment by my dad’s side.
This type of tumor grows and spreads rapidly, often creating pressure. My dad experienced severe headaches, nausea, blurred vision, personality changes, and many seizures. He had to go through years of radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. The life expectancy rate for this type of cancer is only about a year and a half.
For those of you who don’t know my dad, Adam Wolf, he was an amazing teacher to his two daughters and caring wife, showing us by example the importance of kindness, empathy and hard work. He was a man of true optimism, always rooting against all odds for his beloved NY Mets and NY Giants. Adam truly had the gift of gab. Adam lived an extraordinary life filled with love, laughter, family and great friendships. Adam’s life was incredibly well-lived and well-loved. He approached each day with an excitement and energy that was as rare as it was infectious.
But when the cancer became aggressive, I could see it taking over my dad’s body; at that very moment, I knew things wouldn’t be the same. Seizures occurred more often, there were progressive neurological deficits, progressive cognitive deficits and severe headaches. He started to lose his sight, touch, and eventually his hearing. That’s when the doctor advised us that treatment would no longer suffice him but instead hurt him more. We decided to stop treatment on March 20th, 2019 and put my dad on hospice. Adam Fields Wolf, 57 years old, died at home on April 2nd, surrounded by his loving family, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer.
So you’re probably wondering how this experienced defined me and made me stronger, right? Losing a loved one may also be a positive teaching moment and an enlightening process. Although you can never be ready for something like this, there may be messages or insights you can gain from such a tragedy. The most important lesson I learned was life is indeed too short and you should never sweat the small things. You should not spend your time wasting your energy on meaningless things. Instead, live your life like Adam would and act every single day to build a life that’s positive, productive and progressive. Losing my father helped me find my inner strength, power and perseverance. While I still have days were I get sad, my grief sent me on a journey to self-discovery and growth. I have relearned things about myself that I lost sight of during my life. All in all, I have a new appreciate and self-love for myself.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
M: “Everything happens for a reason.” Whether it's good or bad, everything comes into your life for a reason, even though at the time, something might seem to come into your life to hurt you. It is only natural to feel like things are not meant to happen this way — people are not meant to leave, you are not meant to get rejected, accidents are not meant to happen — and if you had done something differently, the situation might have turned out differently. However, as time has passed, you realize that things were supposed to happen the way they did because one event led to another. People come into your life to teach you something. Things that seemed horrible, painful, or unfair at the time happened for a reason. And in reflection, you realize that they happened to help you become stronger.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
M: My mom, Pamela Rose Wolf, is the woman who inspires me the most. I know this is the most common answer, but it’s the most obvious answer to me. My mom has gone through a lot during her 57 years of life and I hope to grow up to be at least have the half the woman she is.
Growing up my mom lost both of her parents within a year. She lost her dad at 26 to a tumor overgrowth and her mom at 27 to lung cancer. Fast forward 20 years, she lost her older brother, Daniel Myers, to alcoholism and my dad, her beloved husband, to brain cancer. My mom always joked saying she felt like she had the “Kennedy curse” because she constantly was experiencing death all around her. Experiencing this much heartbreak and tragedy can send someone off the deepend, but my mom stood tall and put on a brave face for all of her loved ones that still surrounded her.
My mother has taught me that hard times can be overcome and that losing battles can be won. She has taught me more than I could have learned from any book. She sets an inspirational example to me by teaching me how to live life and make wise choices, even in the most uncertain situations. She has taught me to be strong, especially in tough times. Your true strength will be tested. Never let anything get you down. She is one of the strongest people I know and I strive to be as strong as she is.
I respect her a lot. She is my inspiration, my role model. LOVE YOU!