Bryant Edmondson, Social Work

Bryant Edmondson has many dreams for his future – he was recently accepted into Ģ������Ƶ’s Master of Social Work program, and he aspires to become a professor, motivational speaker and family counselor.

Under all these ambitions lies a deep desire to understand people and their inner lives, which Edmondson considers foundational to personal relationships.  

“There’s an old saying, in scripture, that says ‘Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to wrath,’” Edmondson shared. “In every conversation and every encounter, we should enter it as a student. The more we learn about people, the better we can connect with them.”

During his undergraduate career, Edmondson has had many opportunities to explore his leadership potential, which included hosting a workshop on finding one’s purpose during the third annual Empowered Leadership Conference, speaking at the Future Business Leaders of America’s conference at Kean University and attending monthly meetings with Ģ������Ƶ’s Social Work faculty in his capacity as president of the Social Work Club.

Edmondson also interned with the Dean of Students' office, where he worked closely with the Residential Scholars program on events such as Harvest of Hope, an initiative that provided food and other essentials to over 100 local families during the holidays. 

It comes as a surprise, then, that the Social Work student didn’t start his journey at Ģ������Ƶ keen to be in the spotlight while earning his degree, admitting that he “had every intention to fly below the radar.”

His perspective, however, soon changed.

“Many times, we are focused on one thing, and there are so many treasures that we never notice because we're so focused on the carrot on the stick. I'm learning to be mindful of the treasures within my peripheral vision, and that changed how I looked at the university,” Edmondson said. 

Speaking of treasures in his life, one can’t help but notice the light in his eye when he talks about his family, especially his daughter, Arianna, and son, Matthew.

When his daughter graduated from high school and began applying for college, he recalled how he was told college was an unattainable dream, causing him to forgo applying. It was when his son Matthew revealed his higher education aspirations that he considered revisiting the idea of earning a degree.

Now, the only person in the Edmondson household who hasn’t gone through higher education is Terron, who is only 8 years old.

“Matthew and I are graduating together,” Edmondson said with pride. “Parents tell their kids they can do stuff all the time, but I don't think parents believe they can do it themselves. I think it's one thing to say it and another to display it: I have to show them that I believe they can do it, so I’m doing it, too.

Looking back at all he has accomplished in this season of his life, Edmondson is eternally grateful for the wisdom and advice he received from his community of faculty mentors, whom he felt he could relate to as a non-traditional student.

“I'm older than most students here and desire to be a professor, so my community became my professors. I spent most of my time talking to them, picking their brains and building some really good relationships with some really awesome professors. I’m going to miss them a lot,” Edmondson said of Associate Dean of Students Marques Johnson and faculty members Maya Lewis, Eden Mohamed, Theodore Alter and Hannah Wolfe.

Although endings tend to be bittersweet, Edmondson looks forward to turning the page, pursuing his master’s, landing a 400-hour internship and biking 49 miles for his 49^th birthday.

“It’s a challenge: I’m right in the middle of finishing one chapter and starting another one, and I want to make sure that I’m giving the right energy to both directions,” Edmondson said.   

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