May 3, 2007

On Saturday, May 5, Katherine Bryant – Presbyterian College's Outstanding Senior for the Class of 2007 – says goodbye.

Her farewells are varied. After receiving her diploma and joining her classmates as they recess together along the college's West Plaza, she seeks out family, friends, and professors for celebrations, hugs, laughter, and maybe even a few tears.

Nonetheless, she is ready. From the shy teenager who stepped foot on campus more than four years ago to the confident young woman who graduates this spring, Bryant, the daughter of Brad and Kay Bryant of Atlanta, Ga., has undergone the metamorphosis of a liberal arts education at PC.

From the beginning, she said, PC has played a significant role in her life.

"I decided to come to PC at the last minute," she said. "But from the point of stepping foot on campus, it felt kind of like the right fit. … Once I got here, I just saw what a very unique community it was. You could just see the relationships – not only between the students but also with the faculty and even so far as with the community. I don't think you can find that at every college. I think it's something that PC has that's very unique. I could kind of see that from the moment I got on campus."

Bryant acknowledges, however, that her perspective of PC has changed – even as she has changed, as well.

"From my own perspective, I've changed and grown a lot over college," she said. "You know, PC sort of takes on a different shape. When I studied abroad (a semester in Prague and last summer in Costa Rica), I definitely had a hard time coming back because it did feel like such a tight community that I had been out there and had seen this much bigger world. To be honest, it was much harder coming back.

"It was something I sort of felt guilty about. … But I've become ready to go out and do something new. But I think that's a readiness the college has prepared me for. Now in the past few months, I've been able to look back and appreciate that community and that foundation that PC has given me that has now made me ready to go out and do something new and face the bigger world."

Bryant compares the person coming out of childhood into the one she has become – a young adult.

"I think they're pretty different," she said. "I think I have the same values and, deep down, the same loves and passions but I think that I've been able to embody those more as I've gotten older. I came in pretty shy and kind of timid but now I've just been able to really grow and express myself more."

Her experiences out of the country had much to do with this personal growth, she said.

"I became more award of the world and what's going on all around," Bryant said. "(Studying abroad) also gave me a sense of independence – and I learned more to live and love each day. I think that was a really important thing in my life because I spent a lot of time stressing over college and there were anxiety-filled days over tests and papers.

"Learning to enjoy and savor each day was something I learned while abroad  -- and that was one of the hard transitions coming back because all of a sudden you're thrown back into your old world. Now as a senior, especially here at the end, I'm really trying to be mindful of each moment and savoring the wonder and beauty that is here on this campus and in this community."

Part of the joy and wonder, no doubt, is rooted in relationships – especially those that have influenced her most. As a double major in history and biology, Bryant claims numerous influences – but two in particular. In biology professor Dr. Jim Wetzel, she said, there has been wisdom, encouragement, and honesty. In professor of history Dr. Anita Gustafson, it's been a love of education and showing her the important roles women play in the world. Both, she said, showed her to "love what I was doing."

At commencement, Bryant will share the stage with Gustafson, who was chosen this spring as PC's Professor of the Year. It will be one more moment to cherish, she said.

"I couldn't think of anything that made me happier," she said. "I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather share the stage with. She's one person I got to know really well who embodied the love of education that I want in my own life and encouraged me in so many different ways."

That encouragement undoubtedly extends towards Bryant's future. In August, the daughter of Brad and Kay Bryant of Atlanta, Ga., will leave the country again – this time to serve for a year in India as part of the Presbyterian Church USA's Young Adult Volunteer Program.

Her on-campus relationship with Gustafson coming to a remarkable end, Bryant said her mentor definitely helped her plot a course to the future.

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