Michelle Cloutier - Staff Reflection

To the Bryant Class of 2023: Congratulations, you did it! It is my distinct privilege to offer a reflection on behalf of the staff of Bryant University. You have reached an exciting moment in your young lives, and as you reflect on your academic and personal achievements, allow me to share some thoughts with you.

Graduates, you have come a long way since you first stepped onto Bryant’s campus as freshmen. I can confidently speak to this as the Vice President of Enrollment Management because I have known some of you since you were still in high school, and I had the pleasure of reviewing each of your college applications. Because of this, I know firsthand what an impressive and talented group of students was admitted to Bryant four years ago. Watching you grow as individuals, students, and leaders has been an honor.

If there is one word that I would use to describe the class of 2023, it would be resilience, or your capacity to withstand and recover quickly from difficulties. During your first year, you came to Bryant full of hope and excitement to learn. But, while you got to experience the freedoms of college life, you quickly had to pivot to learn and socialize remotely. You lived through a global pandemic, returned to campus during a time of great uncertainty, and thrived.

As you leave Bryant University to begin the next phase of your lives, I encourage you to stay curious and continue learning. Be open to new experiences and take risks, even if they seem scary at first. Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination.

I also want to remind you that your education does not end today. The knowledge and real-world skills gained at Bryant will serve you well, but they are just the beginning. The world is constantly changing, and you must be open to continual learning and adapting to succeed in your chosen paths.

Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of community. The bonds you have formed with your classmates, faculty, and staff will last a lifetime. So, stay connected with each other and with Bryant University because Bulldog pride will always be a part of your identity.

Congratulations again on your graduation. I wish you all the best as you embark on the next chapter of your life beyond Bryant. I know you can achieve great things, and I do not doubt you will positively impact the world.

Sincerely,

Michelle Cloutier Vice President for Enrollement Management

Dear Bryant University Class of 2023;

Firstly, Archie and I would like to congratulate you all on this incredible accomplishment - you did it, guys! Enjoy this moment and know how unbelievably proud of you we all are.

Having started working at Bryant in 2019, this was the first class of students that I got to watch from the beginning, and it has been an honor and a privilege to watch you all go from eager freshmen - anxious about classes and fitting in in a new place - to seniors ready to go out into the world. It’s been a long journey, full of challenges and triumphs and late nights (I know you all don’t go to bed at 1 am!) , and I hope sincerely that it exceeded all the expectations that those wide-eyed freshmen had as they trudged their belongings up the stairs of their residence halls for the first time.

There was no way that those freshmen could have predicted that not six months later, a global pandemic would send them packing up those belongings and heading home, into a world of Zoom and isolation and uncertainty - a world in which despite the challenges, they persevered and even thrived. There was no way they could have known that their return to campus would be colored by testing protocols and pods, masking and social distancing. But still, the Class of 2023 was resilient and adaptable, willing to embrace new ideas and solutions and forge their way forward as individuals and as leaders, never shirking from the challenge as we all - every single member of this communitystared headlong into the unknown.

To be honest, I’ve been intimidated by this moment, and I’ve struggled with what, exactly, I want this send-off to be. There are so many things I want to say, so much advice for the future I want to leave you with. But here’s the thing - I think the most important lesson in life is one that this class knows better than anyone: no one, not even the adults in the room, knows what’s going to happen. That’s life. It’s as simple and beautiful and wonderful and terrifying as that - sometimes, all you have is a vision and the audacity to jump and hope you’re not met with a cliff. It is a life lesson that will come up again and again, in different shapes and contours, and it is one that should be highlighted and remembered throughout your lives, because how you embrace it will define you. Take risks, be flexible, and be prepared to make mistakesstupid ones, interesting ones, glorious and fantastic ones. Be brave and break rules (safely) and dream big - you’re the adults now, and it’s your turn to decide what that means. Leave the world a better and more interesting place for you having been here. Because the thing about the unknown, about the nature of life itself, is that you get to define it.

As you think about your college years and move forward, take everything you learned here and the connections you’ve made and carry them forward. Be brilliant and be Bryant Strong.

(And come back and visit! Archie will be sad if you don’t.)

I’d like to close with some words from Archie: “Woof woof woof ruff bark bark woof!” For those of you who don’t speak dog, that’s “Congratulations, Class of 2023! Make us proud!”

Tupper II Graduates!

Tupper II celebrates his 4 years at Bryant, just like you!

Here are a few of our favorite photos of Tupper from his “freshman,” “sophomore,” “junior,” and “senior” years!

Go Books! Go Me!