Letter of Recommendation from Rep. Timothy Ryan to the University of Miami's MBA Program

1. January 8, 2003
School of Business Administration
University of Miami
To Whom It May Concern:
There are a few people in our lives that we come across who are truly remarkable people, who are
motivating to be around in their actions and their zest for life. Bryan Richards is one of these
people.
I had the opportunity to watch Bryan grow up and witness the challenges that life presented him.
Where many would have given up, Bryan fought to reach his goals. Bryan was born with an eye
disease that nearly caused him to go blind as a small child. Fortunately for Bryan, he did not go
blind, but he was still left with very low vision. I watched Bryan as he struggled to do things that
other kids his age were doing, like playing basketball or football. He was also often picked on
due to the way his eyes constantly moved from his eye disease.
Scholastically, Bryan was doomed to be a failure according to his doctors. They told him that he
would be lucky if he did average in school. On the day of his high school graduation, I watched
Bryan address the crowd as he graduated valedictorian of his class. He then attended Ohio
University with a full academic scholarship and graduated near the top of his class there as well.
From these struggles, Bryan has developed a very hard work ethic. He sets his goals and puts in
110% of his effort until he achieves them. Life provides great challenges to all of us, but Bryan
has turned his challenges into opportunities. Through his trials he has developed a positive
attitude that is contagious to those around him. His optimism in the face of great trials, his hard
work in the face of great criticism and his enormous success in the face of great physical and
social hurdles makes Bryan a winner.
Bryan has been an asset to my campaigns over the past couple of years. In my State Senatorial
race, he spearheaded a small campaign at Ohio University to target absentee voters from my
voting district. Throughout my United States Congressional race, he would be willing to lend a
helping hand whenever and wherever it was needed. On many occasions he drove to Ohio on
Friday nights from Washington DC after working a full workweek to volunteer for our weekend
activities. In short, Bryan will do whatever it takes to support a cause or project in which he
believes. He is a team player, yet, the other volunteers always followed Bryan’s lead. Bryan is
likable, charismatic and a motivator. His peers recognize his talents and look to him for
guidance. Bryan is a leader in every sense of the word.

2. Letter of Recommendation for Bryan Richards
Bryan is a dreamer. He realizes that dreams are the previews of life’s coming attractions. His
dreams are always attainable, logical and well thought out. He is assertive about his goals, but
not obnoxious; confident, but not arrogant. Passionate, but not overzealous. He is clever in his
approach to problems, witty in his dealings with colleagues and genuinely respectful to all he
comes in contact with. He has a quick mind and a great memory. Bryan is trustworthy; a man of
his word. His work is thorough and he possesses an uncanny attention to detail.
In closing, all of these attributes make Bryan a great fit for the University of Miami School of
Business MBA program. Bryan has a successful career and life ahead of him. He is definitely a
person the University of Miami would want to call alum. He will be a great asset to your
program. I give him my highest recommendation.
Sincerely yours,
Timothy J. Ryan
Member of Congress
17th District of Ohio