Bryan started college intending to major in math. But a liberal arts education worked its magic in the first two years, exposing him to disciplines and issues he had never heard of. He graduated with a major in psychology and concentration (minor) in linguistics. His love for math didn't disappear. Instead, it fused with his interest in the mind to yield his first gainful employment—as a high school math teacher!
Bryan eventually returned to school to earn a master's and Ph.D. in education. His scholarship focused on authentic assessment: ways to evaluate student learning that promote greater student engagement and better transfer of learning beyond the classroom. A teaching professor, most recently at Cornell University, Bryan led courses in educational psychology, curriculum and instruction, and first-year writing. Most of his courses incorporated weekly engagement with students in local K-12 schools. Practicing and refining what they were learning on campus, the college students talked, wrote, filmed, and even danced with youth to meet school and community needs for afterschool programs and in-school mentoring.
During the pandemic in 2020, Bryan and his family moved to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont to spread out and slow down. For four years, he combined supervision of others with direct service to youth by joining the St. Johnsbury School District as director of Catamount Community Hours. Funded by grants, this unit offers free afterschool and summer enrichment and academic programs for students and families. This work refreshed Bryan's youth-development and grant-writing skills and reminded him how powerful it is when schools and communities work together.