At Bridgewater State University, opportunity is everywhere – and for everyone. Just ask Bryan Bjorklund,’16.
After overcoming a host of obstacles to earn his degree in physical education at Bridgewater last year, Bryan joined the university in September as a disabilities success coach for students and employees.
Bryan, who has cerebral palsy, focuses on program implementation and community awareness for students and faculty with disabilities. The job duties are wide-ranging, but Bryan’s central mission is focusing on everyone having the access they need to succeed.
“I just want to open some doors for others,” said Bryan, who also overcame a brief period of homelessness to earn his degree.
Bryan’s commitment to the campus community has never been in doubt. For proof, just look to his right forearm, where Bryan proudly sports a tattoo of the university’s logo and bear claw marks.
But it’s more than the tattoo that has gotten the attention of Bridgewater President Frederick W. Clark Jr.
“I think what Bryan symbolizes to me is just the passion and the hard work that our students have to succeed here at Bridgewater State against, in some cases, overwhelming odds,” the president told The Enterprise in late May. “We admire Bryan’s tenacity, commitment, perseverance and spirit. He embodies the Bridgewater’s spirit that we all appreciate on this campus.” (Story and photo by Charlie Peters, University News)