Thank You, Bryant: Remi Manna

Bryant Athletics will feature "Thank You, Bryant" letters from senior student-athletes over the course of the next two weeks.

Dear Bryant,

Reflecting on my last four years, it's hard not to get emotional. There is so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my sport, and the lessons it has taught me. I am thankful I had the unique opportunity to work toward my goals, and accomplish many of them. I am thankful for my studies, and being able to expand my knowledge of not only my discipline but the diverse world that Bryant introduced me to. Most of all though, I am thankful for my people. There are people at Bryant who come from all over the world, and from many different parts of the country. People on my team and in athletics who I would have never had the chance to meet if it were not for this school. With Bryant being so small, it's hard not to think that everyone was put there for a reason. That we were all taken from all of these different parts of the world, and brought together at a little school, in a little state, in a little town called Smithfield. All of these people have become my community and my family.

Bryant has taught me that while sports are amazing, and romantic, and beautiful, what's so special about them, is that they bring people together. For athletes at this school- the run tests we passed, the games we won, the awards we were given- they weren't really what was special about Bryant. What was so special was being able to wake up at 6AM to go practice at Beirne Stadium with my teammates. It was going to support my friends at their games and sharing in their accomplishments. It was finding excuses to go into the training room and catch up with everyone doing their rehab. It was Salmo sitting for hours talking about our lives and what we plan to do with them. Bryant is a special, special place. Very little get to have a college experience like this one, and it has made me the person that I am today. For that, for the people that became my family, thank you. Thank you so much. 

Love,

Remi