Breanna actively uses her talents to help others thrive — especially first-generation students and young Black women.

Breanna Wyrick is pursuing a master’s degree in health administration and leadership at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In 2018, earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a concentration in health and medicine from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where she received awards including the Jean Fairfax Scholarship, Delta Sigma Theta Academic Scholarship, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Rosa Parks Award. Breanna was active in U-M’s Black Student Union and served as the organization’s president. As an undergraduate, she discovered her passion for public health while studying abroad in South Africa, where she deepened her understanding of global health disparities and the social determinants of health.

Following graduation, Breanna’s heart pulled her toward pursuing a graduate degree in public health, but she was offered a job at a major technology company. “As a first-generation college graduate,” Breanna writes, “I felt obligated to pursue this offer and help provide for myself and my family.” She went on to build a successful career in the technology industry. She worked at Dell Technologies as a client engagement coordinator and later at Informatica as a partner marketing lead. A supervisor notes that “intellectual curiosity and proactive nature made her a standout team member.”

But like so many of her colleagues, Breanna was impacted by industry layoffs, so she made the strategic decision to return to graduate school to pursue her passion for healthcare consulting. She intends to merge her academic background in health and medicine with her professional expertise in partnerships, marketing, and technology to build solutions that improve healthcare access, equity, and outcomes.

Breanna actively uses her talents to help others thrive — especially first-generation students and young Black women. Her volunteer experiences range from facilitating clothing swaps to supporting the Delonis Homeless Center to facilitating COVID-19 resource distribution events.

CEW+ encourages Breanna’s pursuit of her dream and names her a Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar.