Never Too Early to Give Back
It doesn’t take long for Bradley alumni to start seeing the value in giving back. Many Braves are motivated to connect with the next wave of Bradley grads, but Rayna Grady ’21 is wasting no time in her mentorship plans. The MBA graduate has only just begun her professional career at WestPoint Financial Group, but she is ready to get back to campus and share her Bradley experience with current students and encourage them to take advantage of all the possibilities available to them.
“There is a lot of learning outside of the textbooks and classrooms,” she said, “I want students to know that stepping out of your comfort zone is important for finding these opportunities.” Grady learned that saying yes to new things enriched her time at Bradley. From studying abroad in Australia, to serving as the president of the Women in Business student organization, she rounded out her education through experiencing new challenges.
These adventures built her confidence and enabled her to be a better communicator. “I’m able to effectively collaborate and manage teams because these were skills I actually practiced in my roles outside of being a student,” she explained.
Grady knew the personal importance of these opportunities, but the idea of sharing this through student outreach was something she learned from her connection to the Bradley University Black Alumni Alliance (BUBAA). “Hearing stories from alumni like myself and seeing how their opportunities led them to giving back to Bradley was extremely inspiring,” she said. BUBAA members showed Grady that every alum has something special to say to students and now, only a few years after graduation, she is excited to start sharing these experiences for others to use as fuel for their future.
“I am so grateful I chose Bradley because of all the amazing experiences I had, and now I want to share my story to let students know the only thing that will ever stand in the way of achieving their goals is them. Don’t be afraid to take risks and go for whatever you want!”