Today we’d like to introduce you to Naphtali Bryant.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I started my journey as a young man who was supposed to be a statistic. I did not graduate high school on time, had three sons before age 21, and had a wife. The next decade of my life consisted of divorce, moving from Hawaii back to San Antonio, and working a dead-end job. This was a time of attempted suicide, despair, and trials. However, right around 2010, I decided to pursue my associate degree. I started to attend St. Philip’s College. During this time, my life began to change, and I discovered a new talent and inspiration that was helping students achieve college success. In 2012, I was selected to be a part of the Alamo Colleges Student Leadership Institute, where I met other students trying to improve their lives and wanted more out of school than just the credential at the end.
While attending the institute’s first year, I was recruited (more like volunteered) to compete in the Free Trade Alliance Education Foundation International Business Plan Program. After eleven weeks, our team earned third place out of eighteen teams representing twenty-three countries. The competition was the catalyst to start a journey of accomplishment and recognition. I studied abroad in Taiwan and China and traveled to conferences in Los Angeles and Miami. I met the legendary Dolores Huerta and spoke to students in Tolima, Colombia, as a special guest speaker during the pandemic. My life has dramatically shifted since deciding to go to school in 2010.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road during this journey. One of the biggest hurdles was in the Spring of 2015. In February of that year, I was awarded the Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship, which would pay for most of my study abroad program in Taiwan and China. A week later, my mother let me and my brother know that she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. As the oldest, I tried to keep a good face, but it was tearing up that I would have to choose between attending a program that was the first in our college system history or staying home to help care for my mother. My mother would not allow me to stay; she said, “No one in our family has ever been to China. You have no choice but to go.” I decided to do everything, including climbing the Great Wall, visiting the world’s largest building at the time (the New Century Global Center), and riding in the world’s fastest elevator in Taipei, Taiwan. My mother lived another three years until she passed away in February of 2018.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the Childcare Scholarship Coordinator for United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. In my role, I was tasked with rebuilding the program and recruiting more scholars. I have been in my role since September 2022. In my time, I have broken five records, including the number of scholarship applications, scholarships awarded, money raised, and childcare centers that accept the program. The Global Intrapreneur Institute recognized me as the 2023 Outstanding Intrapreneur for my recruitment efforts, and I was recently named a Marquis Who’s Who in America Honored Listee. I think like a student and a program manager. As a student, I understand what it takes to go to school, have kids, and work. I understand how processes in a program may not be conducive to the student experience.
Conversely, I can convey the need for structure and order to help the students and their families. I also have a vast network in San Antonio. This network allowed me to begin promoting what was an unknown scholarship, now a scholarship that is being emailed to almost 50k students each cycle. I also started a service that helps students achieve student success. I call it Spark-Ed University. The mission is to “Bridge the Gap Between Education and Career Success.” We aim to help students leave school with a college credential they can use with little to no debt.
Are any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Favorite Podcast: Market Mondays with Earn Your Leisure and Stock Market expert Ian Dunlap. My favorite book is the Bible. The Magic of Thinking Big David J. Schwartz
Pricing:
- Coaching Session-$40 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spark-eduniversity.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naphtalit.bryant/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SparkEDUniversity/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naphtalitekoabryant
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Spark_EDUn
Image Credits
Global Intraprenuers Institute, National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Award, Spark-Ed University Logo, The Rock San Antonio University Of Tolima BA, Talk Club Global Forum for Education and Learning, Benjamin Gilman, International Scholarship Alumni Ambassador United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County Childcare Flyer
