Patricia Adesanya

Over the course of four years, I have improved my leadership, professional, and interpersonal abilities by participating and trying my best in every class. As a senior at Bryant who has encountered many hardships during my college experience, I wanted to be remembered as a role model on this campus. I want to share my experiences and knowledge of what I have learned throughout my 4 years to people who can relate to me.

As a black female student, I have had the chance to advocate for other students of color, athletes, and women. By getting involved and being a good mentor, I believe I have helped my undergraduate community evolve to be a more diverse community. I also encourage other fellow students to be the best version of themselves and to take advantage of the opportunities around them.

My fantastic experience as a 4MILE counselor, an orientation leader, student ambassador, and a resident assistant has allowed me to share my experiences, share knowledge, and help peers who do not have the drive to change Bryant like me. I loved being that dependable asset, student mentor, and teacher to my fellow peers while making change at my current university campus. I was able to do this as a student leader on my campus and assist students over the course of my four years in becoming accustomed to the Bryant Campus. Finally being involved within Bryant’s Campus has inspired me to work in the field of DEIB specifically within athletics. I have a passion for this field of work and I would love the opportunity to excel and thrive to change the community one step at a time.

I will never forget touring Bryant University as a senior in high school. The second I stepped on to campus I felt like this was the institution for me. I applied to seventeen universities across the country and after weighing out the options, I chose Bryant because of the tight knit, supportive community. I came into Bryant not knowing what I wanted to accomplish or what I wanted to do after graduation, but now reflecting where I am today, Bryant has provided me the resources I needed to succeed.

I completed three undergraduate internships in three different industries at State Street, Dell Technologies, and Hasbro. What made those experiences successful was the opportunity to network with industry leaders and learn how they got to where they are today. Those connections also opened doors for me and expanded my educational horizon. Not only did my internships open the door for me to connect with alumni, but the various sales and marketing competitions allowed me to meet new mentors.

I represented Bryant University at the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) in Kennesaw, GA twice, International Collegiate Sales Competition (ICSC) in Orlando, FL, and Selling with the Bulls at Tampa, FL. In preparation for each competition, I connected with Bryant Alumni like Nick Fratto ‘21 and Hannah Bloomwald ‘21 who have volunteered their time to coach and mentor me for each competition. It’s amazing to have alumni who are willing to volunteer their time to pay it forward to the next generation of Bulldogs.

Traveling has become a passion of mine over the years. When the COVID-19 health pandemic became a thing the week after Spring Break my freshman year, I thought that I would not have an opportunity to travel abroad. Having remote classes throughout the remainder of my freshman year and then hybrid classes during my sophomore year became the norm, and I didn’t see any hope of traveling abroad due to the uncertainty. That all changed when the school announced that they were piloting the first experiential learning opportunity that would take over Winter Break of 2023. I traveled to Italy for three weeks to major cities like Milan, Venice, and Florence to learn about Italian Culture, History, and Gastronomy. Professor Cedric Oliva provided juniors and seniors the opportunity to gain local experiences to enhance our experiential learning like visiting the Murano Glass Museum, tour the fashion district of Milan, and even participate in a pizza cooking class in Florence.

Freshman year I didn’t know what my Bryant legacy was going to be, but I am proud to say that my legacy lies in the student organization I led my junior and senior year, the American Marketing Association (AMA). When I first joined AMA my sophomore year, it was during the COVID-19 health pandemic and there were about 8 active members at the time. I saw the opportunity for growth and joined the Executive Board my junior year as the Director of Marketing. As the Director of Marketing, I utilized my access to social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram to show students the value propositions and the return on investment by joining the Bryant University Chapter of the AMA, which eventually led to the 600% membership growth that year.

That membership growth continued to accelerate into my senior year as I took on the role as Chapter President with about 90 active members by the end of the Spring 2023 semester. One of my proudest achievements is starting the Mentorship & Recruitment Program that allowed 10 incoming first-year students to be partnered with seniors on the Executive Board to obtain guidance for their journey at Bryant. It’s amazing to see the effects of an organized mentorship program and the effect it had on these first-year students.

Bryant University has provided me with some of the best friendships and mentorships that will last me a lifetime. One tradition that I will miss with my friends is our Sunday morning run to Cafe Such-A-Bagel or Coffee Connection down the street in Smithfield. For some reason, my friend groups classic go-to order is a medium iced vanilla chai with light ice and a bagel. I’ll also miss group outings to Friday night Bingo hosted by SPB and even supporting my other friends who are also Resident Assistants at their monthly community programs in their respective first-year hall they oversee. The last four years have been memorable, and I look forward to my new Chapter at Dell Technologies as a Financial Analyst in the Financial Development Program at the Hopkinton, MA office.