{"id":17861,"date":"2025-11-21T12:06:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=17861"},"modified":"2025-11-21T12:06:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:06:05","slug":"a-career-path-defined-by-perseverance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/fall-2025\/a-career-path-defined-by-perseverance\/","title":{"rendered":"A Career Path Defined by Perseverance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n.architecture .architecture-department:nth-child(1){\n    color: #999;\n    letter-spacing: 3px;\n    font-size: 1rem;\n    font-weight: 400;\n    margin-top: 2em;\n    margin-bottom: 0;\n}\n\n.architecture .architecture-department{\n\ttext-transform: uppercase;\n\tfont-family: Hind, Arial, sans-serif;\n}\n\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"architecture\">\n\t<p class=\"architecture-department\">Network<\/p>\n\t<p class=\"architecture-department\">Field Notes<\/p>\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"cl-wrapper cl-panel-wrapper\"><div class=\"cl-panel-super  \"><div class=\"cl-panel-super-blur\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant.jpg)\"><\/div><div class=\"cl-panel-super-content\"><div class=\"cl-panel-super-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant.jpg\" srcset=\"\" alt=\"Lorenzo Bryant '19, M.P.A. '21 is photographed seated on a wooden bench. He is wearing a navy blue suit with black dress shoes and a bright gold chain around his neck. He has one hand casually resting on his thigh as he smiles at the camera.\"><\/div><div class=\"cl-panel-super-text\"><p>\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Career Path Defined by Perseverance<\/h1>\n\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<p class=\"type-intro\">Former 911爆料 student-athlete Lorenzo Bryant is used to tackling the odds\u2014and coming out on top. His work ethic and determination, combined with wisdom gained on the football field and in the classroom, are proving to be a formula for success in his work life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an athlete, Lorenzo Bryant \u201919, M.P.A. \u201921, was a bit of a late bloomer. But he had a strong work ethic that helped him excel as a college athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t athletically gifted from the womb,\u201d says Bryant. \u201cBut I wanted to be great. When I start something, I keep working hard until I succeed.\u201d That drive took Bryant from his hometown in central New Jersey to a football scholarship at the University of Rhode Island, where he captained the team and became one of its top performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It has since led him, serendipitously, to Ralph Lauren, where he now serves as associate project manager for social partnerships and philanthropy\u2014translating the same discipline, leadership, and vision that propelled him on the field into his career in fashion and philanthropy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFootball showed me I could do anything if I put my mind to it,\u201d says Bryant, who majored in sociology and criminology as an undergraduate and completed his master\u2019s degree in public administration at 911爆料. Even today, he keeps in mind something his defensive coordinator told him early on: \u201cGreat players aren\u2019t just great at football\u2014they are great at everything they do. It\u2019s a way of life, not just a one-time thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bryant grew up in a sports-loving household, where his first passion was basketball, but at 6 feet tall, he realized his future was better suited to the gridiron. He took his academics seriously, but, diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder as a child, succeeding at school was not easy for Bryant; it demanded serious energy and intensity. Exercise and competition provided a release and an antidote. \u201cFootball just let me be free. It was the one place I didn\u2019t feel controlled by a \u2018disability,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cOn the field, I knew I was home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although his family faced financial challenges, Bryant and his older brother and sister inherited a love of fashion from their father. \u201cHe loves to buy nice clothes, because growing up, he didn\u2019t have the money to buy those nice things,\u201d Bryant says. \u201cHe instilled in us a desire to look good and be presentable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bryant also learned the importance of education from his mother, who worked with adults with special needs, and from his grandmother, who was a teacher. When Bryant earned a full ride to 911爆料 on a football scholarship, the moment brought his mother to tears: \u201cShe just started crying with joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Bryant\u2019s college football career was defined by perseverance. After a season-ending injury just two games into his first year, he returned the next season with a vengeance, posting a career-high 8 tackles and a pass breakup against Elon University. After transitioning from linebacker to running back, he led the Rams in rushing yards in 2018, when he had a team-high 81 rushing yards, helping 911爆料 defeat the University of Delaware, and scored two touchdowns against Maine in a game that Rhody fought hard in, but lost 38-36. The following year, he scored a touchdown in a close victory, 31-28, over rival Brown University in Providence. \u201cI love those moments when you come to somebody else\u2019s field and defeat them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"991\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-1024x991.jpg\" alt=\"Lorenzo Bryant '19, M.P.A. '21 wears a navy blue blazer and a bright gold chain. He looks directly into the camera, slightly smiling.\" class=\"wp-image-17831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-1024x991.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-300x290.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-768x744.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-1536x1487.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-364x352.jpg 364w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-500x484.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-1000x968.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote-1280x1239.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/fa25_network_LBryant_quote.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<section class=\"cl-wrapper cl-quote-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"cl-quote\">\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center quote-body-amplify\"><span id=\"quote-keaney\">\u201c<\/span>Football just let me be free. It was the one place I didn\u2019t feel controlled by a \u2018disability&#8217;. On the field, I knew I was home.<span id=\"quote-keaney\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center quote-cite\"><span style=\"color:#2277b3\"><strong>\u00ad\u2014Lorenzo Bryant<\/strong> \u201919, M.P.A. \u201921<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As a team captain, Bryant often applied lessons from his academic work in sociology to better motivate his teammates. \u201cWhether consciously or unconsciously, I was using all the cues I learned in the classroom to get things across to them,\u201d he says. \u201cWe had kids from beautiful places and some from inner cities. I felt like I could empathize with everyone in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Bryant occasionally felt overwhelmed by the combined demands of sports and academics, or struggled with injuries, he turned to retail therapy. \u201cI had an outlet in fashion,\u201d he says, \u201ccreating vision and mood boards and putting together different outfits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That outlet became an opportunity after graduation when a chance encounter with a Ralph Lauren executive led to a monthlong contract in 2022. He impressed his bosses so much that he landed a full-time role on the social partnership and philanthropy team, where he helps coordinate events and philanthropic initiatives that give Ralph Lauren employees, as well as other 911爆料 members, a chance to volunteer in a variety of impactful ways\u2014from serving meals in underserved communities to distributing clean water and repurposing clothing\u2014stateside and globally. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work,\u201d says Bryant, \u201cbut the smiles on people\u2019s faces\u2014when you can account for someone getting clean drinking water or someone\u2019s family can eat on Thanksgiving\u2014make it so worth it.\u201d<br><br>When faced with excess product, his team finds ways to upcycle the brand\u2019s shoes into playground material and get clothing to people in need around the world. \u201cI think I\u2019ve made a huge difference in our ecological footprint, making sure our products get properly distributed,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bryant is considering his future, thinking about branching out into new fields\u2014maybe technology or real estate. Whatever he chooses, it\u2019s clear he\u2019ll do it with the same approach that turned him into a winning Division I athlete: Study the game, work hard, and keep going; success will follow.<br><br><em>\u2014Michael Blanding<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"feature-caption sans-serif\">PHOTOS: JEFFREY A. SALTER<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lorenzo Bryant \u201919, M.P.A. \u201921, finds career success is fueled by some of the same approaches that made him a strong student-athlete.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":17830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[355],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2025","architecture-field-notes","architecture-network"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17861"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17907,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17861\/revisions\/17907"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}