The freedom to explore

One night in his freshman residence hall at the University of Oregon, Theo Morganson, class of 2029 (mathematics and philosophy), stayed up until 2 a.m. with his roommate trying to crack a coded message from a Sherlock Holmes mystery.

It took them six hours, but they solved it.

“It was totally worth it, and a great use of time,” Theo said with a laugh.

The challenge wasn’t an assignment. Theo tackled it for fun after a cryptography course showed him that mathematics could reach far beyond numbers and equations, intersecting with history, language, and communication. 

“It made me wonder what other sorts of connections like that exist in other fields with more complicated math,” he said.

That question has come to define Theo’s path at Oregon. A Presidential Scholar and student in the Robert D. Clark Honors College, he has followed his curiosity wherever it takes him—from unexpected connections between mathematics and philosophy to new challenges in the Oregon backcountry. And his donor-supported scholarship gives him the freedom to keep exploring.

A scholarship unlocks possibility

Theo was one of only fifty incoming first-year students selected for a Presidential Scholarship, a highly competitive award providing up to $36,000 over four years.

Funded by donors, the scholarship has eased the financial pressure of college and allowed Theo to focus on his education without needing to balance his studies with a part-time job.

“It allows for more flexibility to explore different avenues,” Theo said.

One of those avenues took him beyond his mathematics major.

In a course on existentialism, Theo encountered Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being. He was especially drawn to the discussion sections, where lively debates exposed him to fresh ways of thinking and offered windows into other people’s experiences. 

“It challenged my worldview and opened my mind to new perspectives,” he said. 

He found the subject so fascinating that he decided to add philosophy as a second major. Mathematics and philosophy, he says, are both rooted in logic, but philosophy adds a distinctly human element. 

“Philosophy connects ideas to the human side of things, and that’s worthwhile to me—I don’t want to be solving equations for no real reason.”

Scholarship support gives students like Theo room for personal inquiry. Rather than arriving at Oregon with every step already mapped out, they have the flexibility to ask new questions, pursue unexpected interests, and build an education that can evolve with them.

For Theo, that exploration hasn’t stopped at the classroom door.

Beyond the comfort zone

Theo has found another kind of classroom through the UO’s Outdoor Pursuits Program. Drawn by an interest in mountaineering and a desire to build real-world skills, he quickly discovered far more than he expected: opportunities to master new abilities and a supportive community eager to learn together.

He has backpacked along Oregon’s rugged coast and through its stark lava beds, learned swift-water safety on local waterways, and taken a backcountry survival course that sent him camping without a sleeping bag or tent.

“It wasn’t fun, but it was very interesting,” he said of the survival course. “I went through that and felt very accomplished.”

Getting uncomfortable was part of the point. In the backcountry, Theo has had opportunities to build skills, navigate uncertainty, and discover what he can do in situations far removed from the familiar rhythms of campus. These experiences have not only shown Theo what interests him, but also what he’s capable of.

“It’s a safe space to be able to explore, build those skills, and get out in a place that's uncomfortable, but also a very welcoming setting,” he said. “Some things in the classroom seem a little bit less scary after being out in the woods.”

Now, after learning from others in the program, Theo hopes to take another step: moving into a leadership role. He’s already certified to lead introductory climbing classes and aims to guide backpacking trips and teach water safety next. He’ll also take a wilderness first responder course—a training he calls “invaluable, both in the wild and in everyday life.”

Turning curiosity into impact

In his first year at Oregon, Theo ventured well beyond the path he might have expected as a math major. Along the way, he has learned to embrace unfamiliar questions and challenges without knowing exactly where they might lead.

Now, he’s considering how the different pieces of his Oregon education could come together for something larger.

“I want to grow and think more broadly while I’m here,” Theo said. “I’m learning how important it is to make connections—between people, between ideas, between different ways of thinking. Eventually, I want to bring those connections into the real world in a way that helps people.”

Donor support has given Theo the time and freedom to chase questions, cross disciplines, test his limits, and discover new ways his interests might one day make a difference. And for future Presidential Scholars, continued philanthropic support can offer that same opportunity—not simply to arrive at Oregon, but to explore boldly once they’re here.