--- title: Katie Coppard Awarded Morris Scholarship description: Noah Fields Awarded Morris Scholarship by NCHS image: https://blog.nchs.org/hubfs/2023%20Morris%20Blog%20Pics%20(2).png --- [Donate](https://nchs.org/donate/) - - - - - [402.451.0787](tel:402.451.0787) [402.451.0787](tel:402.451.0787) - [130th Anniversary](https://nchs.org/130-years-nchs-celebration/) - [Calendar](https://nchs.org/events/) - [Careers](https://nchs.org/careers/) - [Get Involved](https://nchs.org/get-involved/) [Donate](https://nchs.org/donate/) [![Finalized-NCHS-Full-Color](https://blog.nchs.org/hubfs/Finalized-NCHS-Full-Color.svg)](https://nchs.org/) - [Family Support](https://nchs.org/family-support/) - Column 1 - [Pregnancy Services Offering resources, support, & guidance as you determine the best course of action for you & your family.](https://nchs.org/pregnancy-services/) - [Top Pregnancy Questions](https://nchs.org/pregnancy-services/top-questions/) - [Kinship Navigation Connecting kinship families to the support & community resources they need to thrive.](https://kinship.nchs.org/) - [Families Forever Providing support & strategies for deepening the bonds of families formed through adoption or guardianship.](https://nchs.org/families-forever/) - [Become a Families2Families Mentor](https://nchs.org/become-a-mentor-make-a-difference/) - [Full Circle Conference 2024](https://fullcircle.nchs.org/) - [Early Childhood Education Educating & developing children as they prepare for kindergarten and beyond.](https://nchs.org/early-childhood-education/) - Column 2 - [Parent & Caregiver Support:](https://nchs.org/parent-caregiver-support/) - [Healthy Families America Personalized advice & guidance for expectant or newborn parents.](https://nchs.org/healthy-families/) - [Self-Sufficiency Gain vital skills needed to become more self-sufficient.](https://nchs.org/self-sufficiency/) - [Teen & Young Parent Program Preparing teens & young parents for adulthood.](https://nchs.org/teen-young-parent-program/) - [Foster Care](https://nchs.org/foster-care/) - Column 1 - [Steps to Becoming a Foster Family Get information regarding the process of becoming a foster family.](https://nchs.org/foster-care/#becoming-foster-family) - [Mutual Selection Using a collaborative approach to work toward a brighter future.](https://nchs.org/foster-care/#mutual) - [Adoption](https://nchs.org/child-adoption/) - Column 1 - [Adopt Through NCHS Discover the steps you need to take to start your adoption journey with NCHS.](https://nchs.org/adopt-through-nchs/) - [Considering Adoption for Your Child Get assistance with figuring out the next steps for you & your family.](https://nchs.org/consider-adoption-for-your-child/) - [Post-Adoption Services Access resources & support available to you after an adoption is finalized.](https://nchs.org/post-adoption-services/) - Column 2 - [Adoption Search Discover more about your biological lineage.](https://nchs.org/post-adoption-services#adoption-search) - [Birth-Parent Support Group Peer support for birth parents that chose adoption.](https://nchs.org/post-adoption-services#birth-parent-support) - [Families Forever Providing support & strategies for deepening the bonds of families formed through adoption or guardianship.](https://nchs.org/families-forever/) - [Learn](https://nchs.org/learn/) - Column 1 - [Blog Catch up on the latest tips & information our team has to offer.](https://blog.nchs.org/) - [Resources Browse our extensive resource library to get the answers you need.](https://nchs.org/resources/) - [A Guide to Kinship Care](https://info.nchs.org/kinship-care-resources-services-help-you-care-unique-family) - [Support For Expectant And New Parents](https://info.nchs.org/pregnancy-services-support-for-expectant-and-new-parents) - [Support for Families Formed Through Adoption](https://info.nchs.org/families-forever-support-families-formed-adoption) - Column 2 - [Events Stay updated on the latest events & volunteer opportunities through NCHS.](https://nchs.org/events/) - [News & Press Read up on NCHS’s latest announcements & community news.](https://nchs.org/news-press-releases/) - [Celebrating 130 Years | NCHS Come celebrate with us as we look to a bright future and remember 130 years of caring for Nebraska’s children families.](https://nchs.org/130-years-nchs-celebration/) - [About](https://nchs.org/about/) - Column 1 - [Mission, Values & Strategic Plan Our core values are the driving factor behind everything we do.](https://nchs.org/mission-values-strategic-plan/) - [Leadership, Board, & Trustees](https://nchs.org/about#team) - [Partnerships & Donors](https://nchs.org/partners/) - [Strategic Plan](https://nchs.org/mission-values-strategic-plan#strategic) - [Contact](https://nchs.org/contact/) - [*Family Support* Caring For Your Grandchildren And Yourself Learn valuable strategies for caring for yourself and your grandchildren. Download Now](https://nchs.org/resource/raising-your-grandchildren-one-pager/) - [*Foster Care* FOSTER CARE PROGRAM Access the support, resources, guidance, and tools parents and babies need for… Download Now](https://nchs.org/resource/nchs-foster-care-program/) - [*Adoption* Strengthening Your Relationship As A Family Discover the support and resources available for families formed through adoption or… Download Now](https://nchs.org/resource/families-forever-one-pager/) - [*Learn* Annual Report Gain insight into the impact and work our team has achieved over… Download Now](https://nchs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NCHS-Annual-Report-2021-2022.pdf) - [*About* Strategic Plan NCHS believes in building a bright, healthy future for all children and… Download Now](https://nchs.org/resource/strategic-plan/) [Blog](https://blog.nchs.org) > # Katie Coppard Awarded Morris Scholarship May 11, 2023 | 3 min read Share: [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.nchs.org/katie-coppard-awarded-morris-scholarship) [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.nchs.org/katie-coppard-awarded-morris-scholarship) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.nchs.org/katie-coppard-awarded-morris-scholarship) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://blog.nchs.org/katie-coppard-awarded-morris-scholarship) Congratulations to Katie Coppard, who was awarded the 2023 Dr. M. Rosalind Morris Scholarship by NCHS.  The scholarship is funded through the generosity of M. Rosalind Morris, who began the scholarship in 2014 because of her strong belief in both education and the work of NCHS. Dr. Morris was a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1947-1990. She was a pioneer in agricultural science and internationally recognized for her work in wheat genetics. After leading a highly accomplished life, Dr. Morris passed away in 2022, just shy of her 102nd birthday. The scholarship is given to two high school seniors who were adopted through NCHS. Recipients must be attending postsecondary institutions in Nebraska, with preference to students majoring in the education, social work, or science fields. In conjunction with the NCHS 130th anniversary celebration, this was the final year of the Morris Scholarship.  Below is the essay that Katie submitted to the scholarship committee. Applicants were asked to answer the questions, “How has NCHS and your adoption experience made a difference in your life? What does ‘family’ mean to you? How do you plan to use your educational experience and training to affect the lives of others? How would this scholarship impact you personally and in your future education?” —--- “I’m a curious person by nature. I thrive with knowledge and I seek answers to anything I don’t know. One thing I have always known is my adoption. However, there are a lot of unknowns that come with adoption. My life has always been surrounded by what-ifs that I struggle to keep out of my mind. As I live the life I do and not another one, there is no real way of knowing what my life would have been like had one decision regarding my adoption was different. What I do know is that I was adopted into a wonderful family who has done their best to support me at every step of the way. I am forever grateful with the NCHS for allowing my birth mother the option to choose which family to adopt me, and for making the process easier for both her and my parents. Family to me has always meant support. My family is made up of those who have taken the time to support me in my endeavors, whether by coming to my events and being my personal cheer team or giving me someone to talk to when need be. My family has never been made up of purely blood- relatives. There are many people I consider family who aren’t my relatives in any way: my closest friends, those I do theater with, and many of my parents’ friends. They have supported me in any way they are able to, including in my ever-changing plans for my future. While I am a very curious person, I am also a very indecisive person. I have so many interests that it has been difficult for me to truly make a decision involving what I hope to do in my future. I have thought about nearly every possible career: lawyer, teacher, psychologist of any kind, sound engineer, biomedical engineer, archeologist, doctor. I applied for different schools with different majors hoping to keep my options open as I was debating between engineering and psychology. In the end, I realized psychology has always been where my passions lie. My interest in psychology stems from both my utter fascination in how the brain works and in how my brain works in comparison to my birth parents and my adoptive parents. Nature vs. nurture is the age-old question that is especially applicable to adoptive children. My own want to know how much of my personality and interests are due to how I was raised vs my biological parents led to my original interest in psychology, and that ultimately led to my decision to major in psychology. I am still figuring out what I want to do with psychology, but for a while I have been thinking about something in law or going into social work as a way to help other adoptive children go to families who will love them as much as my own parents do me. This scholarship would give some extra help in my room and board payment at Creighton. Allowing this to go to room and board would help me to stay on campus easier, which is something my parents and I both want, and would allow me to save a bit more for graduate school, which has always been in my plans regardless of what field I go into." [![NCHS Team](https://blog.nchs.org/hubfs/NCHS-Team-Author-IMG.png)](https://blog.nchs.org/author/nchs-team) [NCHS Team](https://blog.nchs.org/author/nchs-team) The NCHS team is committed to helping children, parents, grandparents, and families create a safe and loving home. To the NCHS Team, children always come first. By providing support to families and parents, NCHS works to ensure children have access to the care, love, and development opportunities they need to be successful adults. [![Finalized-NCHS-Full-Color-White-Text@3x](https://blog.nchs.org/hubfs/Finalized-NCHS-Full-Color-White-Text@3x.png)](https://nchs.org/) - - - - - ###### Get in Contact [888.315.7347](tel:8883157347) 4939 South 118th Street Omaha, NE 68137 [Contact Us](https://nchs.org/contact/) ###### Helpful Links - [Donate](https://nchs.org/donate/) - [Volunteer](https://nchs.org/donate/volunteer/) - [Careers](https://nchs.org/careers/) - [Stewardship](https://nchs.org/stewardship/) - [Terms and Conditions](https://nchs.org/terms-and-conditions/) - [Privacy Policy](https://nchs.org/privacy-policy/) - [Staff Login](https://nchs.workplace.com/work/landing/input/) - [Board Login](https://app.boardable.com/login) © 2026 Nebraska Children’s Home Society. 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