Meet a Colleague: Meghan Ferguson Meghan Ferguson serves as the financial aid coordinator for the university.

W&L News Office
December 13, 2023

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I started in the summer of 2020, so I’ve worked at W&L for 3 1/2 years. Prior to working in financial aid, I was an academic advisor at Mountain Gateway Community College.

Q. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Cocoa Beach, Florida where I watched countless space shuttle launches. However, I graduated from high school in Buena Vista.

Q. What is the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?
Having kids has been an adventure (haha). I also ran a marathon. Before I trained for my marathon, the farthest distance I had run was a 5K.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
We travel every couple of months to Southern California to take our son to an allergist to treat his anaphylactic dairy allergy. We love the weather and the food, so I’d say anywhere on the coast of Southern California overlooking the ocean. I’d move to Oceanside just for the fish tacos at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Q. Who most inspires you?
My friend’s daughter, Hallie Bea. She had a rare blood disorder and needed a bone marrow transplant. In looking to find her match, she registered countless people, and her organizing and outreach can be attributed to 105 matches! At 10-years old, Hallie Bea found her match and then beat osteosarcoma. In addition to promoting the bone marrow registry, she advocates for kids with cancer. You can find out more about joining the bone marrow registry at https://bethematch.org.

Q. What book are you reading now?
I just bought a book for my daughter that I’m excited to read with her – Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: With Artwork by Yayoi Kusama.”

Q. What music are you listening to these days?
We listen to an eclectic mix as a family: Taylor Swift, Christmas/holiday music, 49 Winchester … and our 4-year old is always requesting Foo Fighters and Beastie Boys (he’s a pretty cool 4-year old).

Q. If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?
During a work retreat, someone suggested Anna Kendrick. I agree!

Q. Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?
I identify with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a champion for women’s rights and gender equality. She spoke very fondly of her husband and took pride in their equal partnership. When she was at VMI, I heard her tell the story about a time when she received a phone call from her son’s school and he needed to be picked up. She said, “This child has two parents. Please alternate calls. It’s his father’s turn.” Like Justice Ginsburg, my equal partnership and friendship with my husband are a large source of pride and happiness.

Q. If you could have coffee with one person (living or deceased), who would it be and why?
I’d sit down with my maternal grandmother and my daughter’s namesake – Kathleen Patricia. She was born in 1929 in Hollywood, California, and she traveled and worked in different places throughout her life. She, along with my grandfather, played a significant role in developing tourism in Cocoa Beach, Florida. My grandmother lived such an interesting life, and I’d love to sift through photos and ask her about the memories.

Q. What is your desert island food?
Alaskan King Crab legs with REAL butter (did I mention my son is allergic to dairy, and I don’t get to eat butter often!).

Q. Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
I dreamed of being a Rockette when I was little, but I quickly figured out I’d never be tall enough. I’m only 4 feet 10 inches tall and the height minimum was 5 feet 6 inches. (It was recently dropped to 5 feet 5 inches for any hopefuls who may be close.)

Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
My husband, Shane, has put up Christmas lights every year we’ve lived on Barger Drive. It was during the first year of Covid that he really went Clark Griswold with the lights. He wanted to spread cheer during a challenging time, and it’s been a tradition ever since. Drive by if you are in the neighborhood!