Las Vegas City Wire

They say that in order to be happy in life you have to do what you love.

If that adage is true, then University of Nevada, Las Vegas alum Scott Morrow is smiling from ear to ear as a gaming lecturer, according to a news bulletin provided by the school.

When Morrow came to school at UNLV in the late 1980s, he quickly fell in love with The Strip and championship contenting UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team.

Scott Morrow realizes his dream at UNLV. | University of Nevada Las Vegas

As the itinerary of his life unfolded, Morrow decided to obtain a master's in hospitality management in addition to his bachelor's, but that wasn’t what he envisioned doing.

“No, my dream originally was to be a high school teacher and football coach. I was going to a community college when the casinos held a career fair at the student union. I needed to make some money, so I told my parents I was going to go work as a dealer,” Morrow said in the release. “My mom really pushed back, but I promised I would finish my degree eventually. Once I got to Atlantic City and went to dealer school, I found that it was in my DNA. I really love the gaming business.”

He said that he always admired the UNLV program from afar.

"When I was in Atlantic City, I would write to UNLV just to get the admissions packet," he said. "I was following Runnin’ Rebels basketball at the time, and I just always wanted to go to UNLV. When my wife and I moved to Vegas, we bought basketball tickets for the national championship team the second we stepped off the plane."

It was while working at The Mirage that Morrow saw UNLV hospitality graduates rising through the ranks of the MGM management associate program.

According to Morrow: “I watched these folks come in with little experience – but they had that UNLV background – and they were getting promoted. I knew I could either get upset about it or finally go finish my degree. I put my foot on the gas, got my degree after 19 years, and kept my promise to my mom!"