Alumnus credits education with preparing him for military career

During his 30-year military career, Mike Adams, ’94, traveled to places as far away as Iraq and South Korea. But he can trace his global acumen right back to Bridgewater State classrooms. 

“What was helpful and stood out to me then was the diversity of the faculty and diversity of the student body,” Adams said of Bridgewater, where he studied sociology. “You got much richer perspectives and experience through that diversity.” 

Adams credits his time at Bridgewater with instilling skills that formed the foundation of his extensive service in the U.S. Army. The intangible benefits of a liberal arts education, earned at an institution like Bridgewater which champions diversity, helped Adams adjust to serving on a tank crew in South Korea with a Hispanic soldier from New York, a Jamaican and a Samoan.

He rose to key leadership posts, including chief of staff for the 3rd Infantry Division in Fort Stewart, Georgia. There, he helped design and implement COVID-19 mitigation measures to protect more than 19,000 soldiers, civilian workers and family members.

“I served with some of the best men and women in the Army,” said Adams, who retired as a colonel and now lives in his native Massachusetts. “Being in command is probably one of the most important and rewarding jobs I’ve had.” 

Adams earned master’s degrees from the National War College and Air Force Command and Staff College, advanced educational experiences that he was ready for with a Bridgewater diploma. 

“I was 100 percent prepared,” he said, adding he could adapt to the Army’s direct written communication style. “You had to write a lot in sociology and the college environment.”

Adams was so impressed with Bridgewater that he encouraged his daughter, Sophia, '28, to come to ɫ����Ƶ. Sophia, who is studying astrophysics, aspires to conduct research using prominent telescopes like Hubble. 

In just her first semester, she is already studying her passion through physics instructor Joseph Doyle’s Exploring the Universe course.

“I love that class so much,” she said. “It’s exactly what I want to do and the stuff I want to learn. It’s overall just a really nice opportunity to learn about the history of astronomy and do some fun labs.” 

Adams is glad – but not surprised – to see Sophia fit in at Bridgewater.

“It has a great climate,” he said. “It will play to her strengths. Bridgewater is in my mind the right place.” 

Do you have a ɫ����Ƶ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

What was helpful and stood out to me then was the diversity of the faculty and diversity of the student body. You got much richer perspectives and experience through that diversity.

Seriously injured due to a crash that nearly tore his arm off, Greg Reynolds, ’10, ’16, had a one in 2,000 chance of surviving. But Reynolds beat those odds.

Reynolds suffered a traumatic brain injury and ultimately had to have his left arm and shoulder amputated after he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle in 2008. He was in a coma for six weeks and had to relearn to walk and talk. Mentally, he was self-conscious about his disability and hid his amputation beneath sweatshirts.

His Bridgewater State education played a key role in the recovery.

“Going to college helped me accept the injury I sustained,” said Reynolds, whose doctors and mother suggested he attend college. “It was an environment not only helpful to my mental health, but it also gave me direction and goals to work towards achieving a degree.”

The transformation began in the Tinsley Center gym. It had the equipment Reynolds needed to continue strengthening his body, but he couldn’t hide behind a sweatshirt. Instead, he learned to embrace who he was and even jokingly shook hands using a fake skeleton arm in place of his missing limb. The confidence extended to the classroom, where he always sat in the front.

“For the longest time, I would struggle to accept help,” said Reynolds, an Army veteran who saw combat in Iraq. “I had the military mindset that I can do it all.”

At Bridgewater, he found a caring community of professors and students and discovered the value in reaching out for that help. Reynolds became a regular at the Academic Achievement Center where he found tutoring and writing support.

Reynolds earned a degree in criminal justice in 2010 and shared his story with fellow graduates at commencement. The experience led him to consider becoming a motivational speaker, and he returned to Bridgewater to earn a communication studies degree.

Professors such as Dr. Jason Edwards taught him about proper discourse and dialogue.

“That degree taught me to listen first and speak last, but also how to formulate your thoughts and how to become a better communicator,” he said. “The biggest thing was just cognitively getting back what I lost with the brain injury.”

Now Reynolds, who set the record for one-arm push-ups in one minute while carrying a 40-pound pack, plays softball for the USA Patriots team of amputee veterans and mentors youth through athletics. He speaks to groups across the country through his business, Makin’ Lemonade, and hopes his story will one day be the subject of a movie.

“No matter how hard life knocks you down, we all have the ability to get back up and push through and be the captain of our own ship,” he said. “You can be the victim or the victor. It’s all about the mindset.”

Do you have a ɫ����Ƶ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

Going to college helped me accept the injury I sustained. It was an environment not only helpful to my mental health, but it also gave me direction and goals to work towards achieving a degree.

As students return to campus this semester and the world continues to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, many may be experiencing anxiety.

For those struggling, it’s important to know supports are in place at ɫ����Ƶ to help manage these feelings.

A great starting point is the ɫ����Ƶ Wellness Center.

“We all need supportive and caring people to help us navigate the stresses and worries of life, people who can help us get through the ups and downs that we all experience,” said Donna Schiavo, clinical director of the Wellness Center.

Confidential counseling services are offered free, in both individual and group settings. For those not comfortable talking with a counselor, there are online tools and services.

is a virtual, peer-to-peer, anonymous support community where students can share their concerns. The online community is moderated by mental health professionals and offers students a safe place to draw strength and gain insights from peers.

Also available is , another free online resource that helps students better understand feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, and suggests ways to manage these feelings. To register for an account, students can download the WellTrack app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and register using their @student.bridgew.edu email address.

Beyond the Wellness Center, it’s important for students to know that community members across campus are invested in their mental health.

“Being a support system is our biggest draw for students to come in and vent, and ask for resources,” said Diana Mendes, interim assistant director of the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (LGCIE), located in the Rondileau Student Union.

For some students, there isn’t a safe space at home where they can express themselves, therefore they tend to suppress their emotions.

“When a student is experiencing so many different types of feelings and not being validated at home, that student often suffers in silence,” said LGCIE Interim Director Michael Walsh, adding that many students of color, particularly males, tend to suppress uncomfortable feelings.

Walsh said part of his job is to let students know they do have a place to turn to and that help is always available.

“The LGCIE is a safe place, where students can keep an eye on each other, have conversations and connect with others,” he said. “By having thoughtful, real, careful conversations, we’re able to understand what some of our students are dealing with in terms of their mental health.”

A Quiet Lounge is set up at the ɫ����Ƶ Pride Center where students can sit, relax, read, or work on homework. Coloring books, crayons, markers, puzzles, and paper are also offered in the lounge to help students unwind.

“You can always drop into the Pride Center between classes if you’re looking for a place to hang out, meet and be around other LGBTQIA+ people, find out more about different programs, events and social opportunities,” said Pride Center Director Carolyn Taggart. “I’m happy to meet with students one-on-one to assist them in finding resources.”

The Military and Veteran Student Center hosts ongoing events that focus on peer support, including one scheduled for May 4 where students can come together and de-stress during finals week.

This spring the center is also launching a Green to Grad program intended to bolster support for students transitioning from servicemember to student.

“Our goal as educators is to prepare students for life after college, and one of the things we should be fostering is the belief that it’s okay to be vulnerable,” said Brian Duchaney, director of military and veteran student services. “It’s important for us to be building opportunities for students to come together and share their experiences.”

Do you have a ɫ����Ƶ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu 

Our goal as educators is to prepare students for life after college, and one of the things we should be fostering is the belief that it’s okay to be vulnerable.

New director looks to expand and increase services for student-veterans

For more than 20 years ɫ����Ƶ has played a major role in the life of Brian Duchaney, ’02, G’07. This continues with his recent appointment as director of Military and Veteran Students Services.

For the past 14 years, the double bear has been an adjunct English professor, and while he enjoys teaching, Duchaney looks forward to making the transition.

“I love being in the classroom but saw this as an opportunity to help ɫ����Ƶ’s military and veteran population,” he said.

Duchaney served in the US Army from 1996 to 2005, reaching the rank of staff sergeant. He understands firsthand how difficult it can be to balance a military career and school. Doing this both as an undergraduate and graduate student, he sometimes struggled.

“I had to handle deployments and disruptions to my education due to my military service,” Duchaney said.

He looks to support students by adding more programming, bringing back the ɫ����Ƶ Student Veterans Club, and establishing services for students in need.

“Beyond that I will help our veterans and servicemembers transition from one career to the next so that Military and Veteran Student Services provides a pathway forward toward life beyond ɫ����Ƶ,” he said.

Duchaney is most excited about the potential for progress and growth. 

“This position extends beyond the ɫ����Ƶ campus and allows me to speak to the community about all that ɫ����Ƶ has to offer military veterans, servicemembers and their families,” he said.

One final goal for Duchaney is to change the way some people view veterans overall.

“There is a perception that veterans are broken, that we are all beyond repair, or dangerous or cannot cope with reality. This is not the case,” he said. “Our military service makes up a small part of who we are as individuals. It doesn’t consume our identity in the way that many think it does.”

Do you have a ɫ����Ƶ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu 

This position extends beyond the ɫ����Ƶ campus and allows me to speak to the community about all that ɫ����Ƶ has to offer military veterans, servicemembers and their families.