News
Kathryn Bryant '12
Helping the Next Generation Discover Themselves: A Young Alum Gives Back
Kathryn Bryant ’12 recalls her daily round-trip commute to GPS from her home in Dalton, Georgia, first on the bus and then driving later in high school. It was where her commitment to her education began—and a journey to a place where she felt fully nurtured and compelled to keep going.
“I never once complained about the drive—I loved GPS so much, and they really prepared me to do whatever I wanted,” Bryant says. “GPS teachers and staff do an incredible job of encouraging everyone regardless of what they want to do. There is no cookie-cutter approach. They encouraged me to be myself.”
After graduating from GPS, Bryant found her next home at the University of Georgia, where she graduated with a degree in finance. She worked in investment banking in Atlanta before transitioning to her current job as a financial analyst for Neiman Marcus. Her ability to interpret, plan, and predict the group’s financial future, even in the year’s current economic turmoil and the company coming out of bankruptcy filings, inspires her at work.
“I’m able to help every single one of our stores with our planning and forecasting,” Bryant says. In a similar way, Bryant supports causes she cares about, including GPS, so that she can continue a legacy of education.
“I’m able to help every single one of our stores with our planning and forecasting,” Bryant says. In a similar way, Bryant supports causes she cares about, including GPS, so that she can continue a legacy of education.
A Reason to Give
Bryant made a first-time contribution to GPS’s Impact Fund, a fund that provides flexible resources that have a significant impact on the schools’ ability to provide an incredible education and experience to all students.
“GPS has such a big impact on my life, and I want someone else to have the same experience I did,” Bryant says. “GPS offers opportunities beyond a traditional education—art classes, volunteering, Winterim—that’s not typical. I want to ensure other girls can have those same opportunities.”
“GPS has such a big impact on my life, and I want someone else to have the same experience I did,” Bryant says. “GPS offers opportunities beyond a traditional education—art classes, volunteering, Winterim—that’s not typical. I want to ensure other girls can have those same opportunities.”
Bryant has been able to see firsthand the impact of giving back. She was motivated to start when her friends and classmates Laura and Taylor Brock’s mother, Lisa Brock, passed away and the family asked for contributions to area organizations in lieu of flowers.
“I think, and most of my classmates would agree, that GPS helped inform who I am today,” Bryant says. “Even a small gift can help create the same educational experience for someone else who is younger than you, and for generations to come.”
She applauds the supportive environment GPS provided, not only while she was in school but also through the college application experience and beyond.
“The GPS community was so supportive and encouraging after graduation,” Bryant says. “The traditions and values helped define my experience and memories from GPS. The experiences I had there, and the time I had to connect with my peers, are really special.”
She encourages alumnae—and especially young alums—to consider making a contribution to the school, no matter the size.
