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Long-time Educator Provides Scholarships for Bryant Students

Edmund Lorenzo '68, a long-time business teacher, creates opportunity for hard-working students.

In 32 years as a high school business teacher and department head, Edmund Lorenzo '68 met many students whose dream to attend college was deferred by finances. He saw them stretch time and resources to meet the demands of school, work, and family, and recognized those efforts often were not reflected in a high grade point average. Now Lorenzo has found a way to help.

"I would never have been able to do what I did in life without Bryant," recalls Lorenzo. His deep gratitude for the business management education that took him in a surprising direction is the motivation behind the legacy gift he and his wife Marguerite have made to the University.

The Lorenzos' bequest intention awards a majority percentage of their estate to Bryant University. Their gift will establish the Edmund S. Lorenzo, Jr. and Marguerite A. Lorenzo Scholarship Fund in support of Expanding the World of Opportunity: The Campaign for Bryant's Bold Future. Increasing access to a Bryant education through student scholarships is one of the pillars of the campaign. Their scholarship will be designated for students in Bryant's College of Business with demonstrated need and mid-point grades—the kind of hard-working student that Lorenzo feels is sometimes overlooked for financial aid.

Following his graduation from Bryant, Lorenzo briefly worked in hospital and nursing home administration. With family that included "85 to 90 percent teachers," it wasn't long before he tried substitute teaching, discovering his true calling and "32 years of joy."

The management background and skills Lorenzo acquired at Bryant enabled him to introduce a number of innovative programs with local businesses that generated both revenue and student employment opportunities. These included hands-on programs in banking, carpentry, and teen parenting that benefited students, schools, and the wider community. He also planned field trips to the Bryant campus, discovering many of his students hoped to attend his alma mater.

The Lorenzos believe the reputation of a university and the degrees it awards are closely linked. They consider their legacy gift an investment that will continue to build Bryant's value for generations of future students. After all, reflects Lorenzo, "Whatever you achieve at the end of your life, really, if it wasn't for education, where would you have been?"

Support Our Students

You can make a future gift that will allow more students to achieve their dreams. Contact Bob Ferrell at 401-232-6171 and rferrell@bryant.edu to learn more.

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