About Carol Bryant

Carol Bryant is a professional communicator, journalist, English and math teacher, professional writer, and grant writer in Grand Island, Nebraska. She received the Hitchcock Fellowship, the top fellowship awarded to a graduate-level journalism student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

Work Experience

As a grant writer and public relations coordinator for a public school district, Bryant generated $6.1 million in grant funding for the school district through 106 funded federal, state, and local grant applications. She collaborated with other grant writers and non-profit organizations on some grant applications, wrote many successful U.S. Department of Education grant applications, and served as a reviewer for local and state grant competitions. She launched the school district’s grant development and public relations departments in 2003; coordinated a $19.9 million bond issue campaign in 2005; organized many special events; participated in redesigning the school district’s web site; and wrote text, took photographs, and completed layout for school district publications. She prepared successful award applications for the school district and community, including Grand Island’s recognition as one of America’s Top 100 Communities for Young People from America’s Promise Alliance.

Bryant worked as a reporter, copy editor, and city editor at the Grand Island Independent. She covered several beats for the newspaper, including county government, public safety, health, regional news, and sports.

Bryant also is an experienced high school, community college, and college math teacher; high school English teacher; and high school tennis coach. She has completed graduate courses in education, math, English, journalism, and statistics and is a certified teacher in Nebraska in English, math, and journalism (Grades 7-12).

Education

Bryant earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Math, and Education from Hastings College in 198;, a Master of Science Degree in Math from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 1989; and a Master of Arts Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, one of the nation’s top 12 journalism master’s degree programs, in 2001. She has completed other graduate courses at Doane College, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Wayne State College, and the University of California-Berkeley.

Carol Bryant was a valedictorian of her high school class, graduated cum laude from Hastings College, and had a perfect GPA in her master’s degree program in journalism. She received a number of college and graduate school scholarships.

Awards

Carol Bryant has earned many professional awards, including National School Public Relations Association awards for a video, newsletter, and brochure and reporting awards from the Nebraska Press Association and Nebraska Press Women. She completed several grant writing and newspaper leadership courses. She received significant college and graduate school scholarships. After receiving the Hitchcock Fellowship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the graduate-level journalism program, Bryant prepared her thesis about Milan Bish, a Central Nebraska native whom President Ronald Reagan appointed to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean. The thesis was modified and published in 2000 as Bish’s biography, Milan Bish: The Measure You Give.

Community Involvement

She has served a board member for non-profit groups including the YMCA, TeamMates Mentoring Program, Heartland United Way, Grand Island Concert Association, Moonshell Arts and Humanities Council, and Grand Island Tennis Association and is a Leadership Tomorrow program graduate in Grand Island.

Tennis

Bryant competed on the women’s tennis team at Hastings College, won conference and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics district titles in singles and doubles, was selected for the first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Tennis Academic All-America Team, and competed in the first two NAIA National Women’s Tennis Tournaments. She is an avid tennis player and is a certified Professional Tennis Registry instructor. She served as an assistant high school coach for boys and girls tennis, taught tennis lessons for more than 20 years, organized community tennis tournaments, and completed U.S. Tennis Association officials’ training.