“I love doing a bunch of different things. I like dipping my toes in everything because I feel like if I don’t, I’ll never know if I like it or not,” Robbie Bryant said. 

Bryant is pursuing a double major in Spanish and communication studies (CMST) with a concentration in international relations, as well as a Mandarin Chinese minor. In addition to his studies, Bryant has held a variety of internships and jobs in his two years as a Temple University student.

“I’m one of those people that likes to do a million different things,” Bryant said. “I got two internships and a couple jobs to fill in my time.”

Bryant’s first job started in the fall of 2020 when he became a Klein Rising peer mentor. In that position, he was responsible for teaching KLN 1001: Klein Freshman Seminar under the mentorship of Director of Communications Studies Scott Gratson. 

“It was brilliant being his mentor,” Gratson said. “I’ve seen him grow every single day.” 

Gratson and Bryant would meet regularly to discuss Klein Rising and, according to Gratson, those meetings would usually turn into fun conversations where they couldn’t stop laughing. Gratson is proud to have a mentee like Bryant that has taken an interest in effecting the next generation of Klein students.

In addition to his job as a peer mentor, Bryant also became an EdTech student partner in August 2020. Facilitated by Temple’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching, student partners get paired with faculty members and help them navigate all the different kinds of technology they can use to interact with their students. Bryant helped four professors with everything from uploading files to Canvas and finding new ways to present over Zoom to using YouTube and TikTok to enhance the student experience.

This past spring, Bryant also started jobs as a server at Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão in Center City and as an Owl Ambassador giving tours to prospective Temple students.

Bryant has also pursued two internships that combine his passions for communications and linguistics. The first is through Congreso de Latinos Unidos, where he tutors clients that do not speak English as their first language. So far, he has taught clients that speak Spanish, Chinese and Farsi, which he says is fun because he gets to strengthen his language skills along with his students. Bryant also worked as a case management intern for the employment readiness program at the Nationalities Service Center during the spring semester where he helped clients set up services such as healthcare and food stamps. These internships have helped Bryant figure out what he wants to do after graduation.

“I really do want to help people; it doesn’t really matter what it is. I just really want to help people and see them grow and use all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said. “I always think it would be cool to work in an international school.”

Bryant has also immersed himself in several of the clubs that Temple offers. “I am the type of person to join things because I want to join them and because I think I can better the club and I think the club can better me,” he said. 

Bryant served as the new Communication Studies Club (Comm Club) financial director this year, and hopes to be the events coordinator for the club in the 2021-2022 school year. In Comm Club, Bryant works with his close friend and co-president of the club Hadley Driscoll. Driscoll said that Bryant comes to her with ideas for the club ranging from creating a forum for CMST students in Annenberg Hall to having a kickball tournament to interact with other clubs.

“He’s always thinking, he’s always engaged, he’s always creative,” Driscoll said. “He has a passion for education, he has a passion for making the most of the situation, and a drive to do the very best he can at everything he does.” 

Bryant is a news anchor for Update Ahora and weatherman for Lo Último, which are both a part of Temple University Television (TUTV). TUTV also has a newscast in Chinese that he hopes to be able to participate in soon, once he gets more proficient in the language. He hopes his efforts as a mentee at the China Institute and the vice president of Temple’s Chinese Language Club will help him achieve this goal.

Bryant is also a recent inductee of the Sigma Delta Pi Collegiate Hispanic Honors Society and tutors Spanish to high school students in his hometown of Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Though he did not have time for them this year, Bryant was also involved in Spanish Club and Language and Linguistics Club at Temple last year.

“I don’t like committing to things if I don’t have time for them,” he said.

Balancing jobs, internships and clubs can get stressful. Luckily, Bryant has also worked his love of music into his schedule. In addition to being a part of the mellophone line in Temple’s Diamond Marching Band, Bryant plays in the Swinging Owls Campus Jazz Band. “One of the big lessons that I’ve learned from college is that you can enjoy your life a little bit,” he said. 

Gratson and Driscoll are excited to see where the rest of Bryant’s educational career leads him. Bryant hopes to continue to be a leader in the CMST community and beyond. “I take pride in my leadership skills,” he said.

“Of everyone I’ve ever met, I’ve never been more impressed or prouder of someone,” Driscoll said.