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Connor Morgan was never a big fan of school. �鶹��ý�When I was in high school, I wasn�鶹��ý�t a great student�鶹��ý�didn�鶹��ý�t do the homework.�鶹��ý� But don�鶹��ý�t take that to mean that Connor isn�鶹��ý�t a hard worker. His senior year, he became a business owner. �鶹��ý�My teacher needed someone to video a wedding at the last minute, so I said sure. Then I filled in for another wedding videographer who got into an accident before a shoot. It wasn�鶹��ý�t until wedding three that I figured I had something.�鶹��ý�

From there, Eighteen Mile Media was born. And ignited an entrepreneurial spirit Connor never knew he had.

But being a student and an entrepreneur isn�鶹��ý�t easy. �鶹��ý�My freshman year at Pace, things really took off, and I was juggling going to school with running the business. I almost left. But being in the supportive Pace Community helped me get out of the burnout.�鶹��ý� Connor was blown away by both the community and the drive of Pace people. �鶹��ý�Everyone seemed like they were happy to be there, not just going through the motions to get a piece of paper. Pace students are constantly learning and finding a way to make a really great future for ourselves. It�鶹��ý�s infectious.�鶹��ý� On top of his classes and the videography business, Connor took on becoming a Pace Orientation Leader for the summer and fostered some deep friendships along the way.

�鶹��ý�Pace students are constantly learning and finding a way to make a really great future for ourselves. It�鶹��ý�s infectious.�鶹��ý�

And Connor didn�鶹��ý�t just find a supportive academic community at Pace�鶹��ý�he also found support for his business that helped him grow as an entrepreneur and a person. �鶹��ý�When the new president took office, I filmed the video that introduced him to the school. That opened the door to the commercial world.�鶹��ý� Since then, Connor has shot several videos for �鶹��ý and has fostered close relationships with the staff and administration. �鶹��ý�I just spoke at my high school�鶹��ý�s career day�鶹��ý�I showed my first video, and then my most recent video, and the students were amazed to see the difference. I�鶹��ý�ve seen how much growth has come out of this. Pace gave me the opportunity to grow from real professional experience.�鶹��ý�

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And Connor�鶹��ý�s opportunities have only multiplied. In 2019, , and Connor was the only available photographer on campus. So, they called him up to cover it. �鶹��ý�She reposted my photo on her Instagram, and my watermark was on the photo. It was amazing!�鶹��ý� In 2021, he was invited to be part of the audio team for the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV in Miami. �鶹��ý�Even though I wasn�鶹��ý�t there with a camera, it was awesome to watch the camera crews and see the amount of prep work that goes into the event. I had to miss a week of school to make it there, but my professors at Pace were so supportive and wanted me to take advantage of the opportunity.�鶹��ý�

Connor knows his story isn�鶹��ý�t conventional, but what he loves so much about Pace is that they were able to meet him where he was and show him that he determines what makes a great college student experience. In 2020, and again in 2021, Connor recorded and produced Pace�鶹��ý�s Commencement ceremony, an experience that he says kick-started his interest in live-to-tape broadcasts.

�鶹��ý�I think I might be the only person in the world who can say they made their own graduation on this scale,�鶹��ý� he says, thinking back on the mix of . He was calling the shots behind the camera and crossed the stage all in the same day. Amazingly, that experience helped him land another gig with the NFL. �鶹��ý�I was there for all of Super Bowl week and I�鶹��ý�m there�鶹��ý�the youngest person by far�鶹��ý�with 15 major NFL players and everyone seemed really impressed with the skills I gained from doing graduation at Pace.�鶹��ý� He produced , which premiered Super Bowl Sunday.

In the year since graduation, Connor has moved to Los Angeles where he�鶹��ý�s branched out 18 Mile Media doing live event and commercial work, in addition to managing a group of individual content creators with 1M+ YouTube subscribers. �鶹��ý�I made my own future,�鶹��ý� he says. �鶹��ý�Pace helped me get there.�鶹��ý�