Outstanding Graduate, Spring 2019
Roberta Katherine Bryant
BS in technological entrepreneurship and management
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Clinton Senior High School
Favorites
- Hobbies
- Art, cooking, music
- TV show
- Black List and Justified
- Activity
- Zumba/hip-hop dance
- Movie
- Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
- Book
- Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- Band/performer
- Too many for only one favorite – I fell in love with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and went to a couple of their concerts, Queen, Phil Collins, Bruno Mars
- Geeky possession
- I have a patch from STS-1 Columbia that actually flew on that mission, along with a signed certificate from the astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen.
Ever since she was in high school, Roberta Katherine “Kathy” Bryant wanted to be an engineer. From watching every Apollo mission to living just outside the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, aerospace engineering and the space industry called to her.
Kathy chose to put family and raising her three sons in front of pursuing a degree. Though, the 1980s technology revolution fueled her interest in engineering and personal computing.
More than 20 years ago, Kathy co-founded the technology service company Team Allita, Inc. She has since served as president and most recently chief executive officer, handling company initiatives, customer acquisition, account and project management and financial control.
Kathy decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in technological entrepreneurship and management offered online at Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering to help her run the company better and gain more credibility as a tech expert.
“The fact that ASU leads the nation in innovation and was hailed as the top online school in the country really sold the program,” says Kathy.
Kathy believes the most rewarding experience has been her academic journey. She learned not everything comes easy, but persistence pays off, and there are people who are willing to help.
When she encountered challenges, Kathy reached out to her peers, the tutoring center, her professors and her academic success coach. She says they all helped keep her on track and made sure she submitted her best work.
Kathy enjoyed her entrepreneurship classes with Lecturer Jason Bronowitz, her quality assurance class with Faculty Associate Bryan Azeka and her startup workshop with Lecturer Steven Cho. The insights gained helped with her company Team Allita, Inc. along with her other business ventures in art sales and consulting work with Amazon.
“The professors here at ASU have come to the classroom with real-world experience,” says Kathy. “It is very obvious that they care very much about their students and their success.”
Kathy believes her engineering degree will open doors for future opportunities, which have already started to present themselves with her upcoming graduation. She also plans to continue building on her e-commerce and other business ventures.
Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2019 class here.
