DEFINITION
Bryan (adjective) – consisting of many parts, some of them surprising.

QUESTIONS
Why did you come to Mercersburg?
I went to Hoover High in Alabama for four years and earned a scholarship to play football at Duke. My grades and my highlight reel were good, but Duke really wants their football players to succeed both academically and athletically, so they suggested I do a post-graduate year—basically a fifth year of high school—and thought I’d fit in well at Mercersburg.

I had no idea what a post-graduate year was, and I didn’t know how to feel about it, other than “another year of high school, oh man.” But then I thought, “Okay, another year of high school, what could I do with that?” And when I visited campus and saw not just the athletic facilities, but the Burgin Center and the library and talked to a bunch of coaches and faculty—I realized I could do a lot.

What has been the biggest surprise?
You can talk to the faculty about anything. And you don’t even have to go to their classroom or their house because they live right there in the dorms with you. It’s like having extra set of parents.

Who is your favorite teacher?
I love all my teachers, but I’m probably closest to my adviser, Jo Wrzesinsky. She’s just like a second mom to me. I love her to death. I can talk to her about anything I would talk to my real mom about. She just seems to enjoy life so much that it makes me enjoy my own life even better.

What have been your favorite classes?
I loved my French 3 class with Madame Prescott. Learning about how the French culture compares and contrasts with American culture was very interesting. Plus, Madame Prescott was such an exciting teacher—so active and full of energy it was impossible not to look forward to class.

My physics class was great, too. I've always liked the sciences. The labs that we did to test different theories really were astonishing. And Coach Malone was such a character in that class. He just kept you interested focused in everything.

And I can’t forget my pre-calculus class. Math has been my favorite subject as long as I can remember. I love solving equations one way and then finding a different path to get the same answer. Also, Mr. Cohen really knew his stuff. And he created a quite humorous atmosphere in class to keep the energy flowing.

What are your favorite places on campus?
I lived in Fowle Hall, where I relaxed with the guys, played video games, and had many food surprises at night after study hall. And I cannot forget, that’s where I lived with one of the best roommates ever!

I love Ford Hall because this is where the food comes and I love food! This is also where I hung out with my friends and watched SportsCenter during breaks between classes and where I learned how to play pool and ping-pong from my roommate.

I should say the Burgin Center is actually where I "lived." Anytime I got a chance during the school day or during the weekends, I would go here and play the piano and practice my clarinet. I was also privileged to be in Grease, the first musical to be acted out in the Burgin. I also performed in my first dance concert and presented my musical senior project here.

What are you most looking forward to when you graduate?
I always knew about Duke and I knew it was a really good school, but I never imagined that I’d ever go to such an awesome school. I feel blessed to have the talent and intelligence to walk on that campus. I can’t wait to see what college is like and to experience football at that level. I’m sure it’s going to hit me like a ton of bricks, but I’m ready for it. I’m excited. And Mercersburg really helped me feel prepared.

If you could offer one piece of advice to an incoming student, what would it be?
Get involved as much as you can without overwhelming yourself. Mercersburg has many opportunities for everyone to be a part of something. You meet many more of your students and other people around the Mercersburg community. You may also find something that you really like to do that you never saw yourself doing before. If you do not get involved in anything, you will find yourself bored out of your mind. But I think it is a lot harder to not get involved because there is so much going on. Trust me, there will be something that interests you at Mercersburg.

LISTS
The last five songs to play on my iPod player were?
"Come What May" from Moulin Rouge
Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma), op. 36, "Variation No. 9 Nimrod
(Adagio)" by Edward Elgar
"The Moldau" (Ma vlast, no. 2) by Bedrich Smetana (Herbert Von Karajan, conductor)
"The Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera
"Take on Me" sung a cappella by The Madison Project (written by a-ha)

What are your favorite books you've read at Mercersburg?
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
King Lear by William Shakespeare

Activities:

• Football
• Track
• Octet (men’s a cappella group)
• African American Student Union
• Student Activities Committee
• Ultimate Frisbee
• The Grill Club
  

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