Kate Bryan smiling as she poses for the camera. Courtesy of Bryan.
by R.J. HUNT
Editor
Kate Bryan’s college journey began at Ave Maria University while it was still located in Ypsilanti. During Kate’s first year of college, the university decided to move its entire campus to Florida. Kate felt like she was in a crisis because she didn’t know if she wanted to follow the school to Florida or stay in the area. After going back and forth, she decided she would continue her studies at WCC, starting in 2004.
When Bryan started at WCC, she decided to take on Liberal Arts because she didn’t know what else to take. “I’m glad that I did study liberal arts because it gave me a lot of flexibility and a lot of opportunities that I would not have had,” said Bryan.
Kate felt like the variety of classes at WCC helped her in so many ways because it allowed to figure out what she wanted to pursue in life, but also allowed her to try out different things. “Even now, I feel like I’m a woman of many talents and interests.” Bryan describes her time at WCC very influential to what she is doing today. “One thing I like about WCC is that they don’t force you to choose a track,” said Bryan. “They give you a lot of flexibility.”
One of Kate’s fondest memories at WCC was taking a guitar class. She absolutely loved it because of how she was able to get to know the other people taking the course and how they would jam out even after class was over. “I actually think about it all the time, “said Bryan. “I loved everything I did at WCC, but that was one that was really memorable.”
After graduating with her Associates degree in Liberal Arts in 2005, Kate went on to attend Francisan University of Steubenville. In 2007, she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and Liberal Arts. Then Kate went to Technological University Dublin (Ireland), graduating with her Masters in Public Affairs and Political Communication in 2011. Bryan was not only the first foreigner, but first American accepted into the program she was in. She had to quit her job back home and sell her car before moving to Ireland, so it was a culture shock for her. “It was more difficult than I thought… I thought I would skip around the countryside and it would be a fairy tale,” said Bryan. “It ended up being a big leap of faith.”
In 2012, Bryan moved back to the states, moving to Washington D.C. She was working with many different media outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times, NBC, and ABC. After spending three years in D.C., Bryan was ready to move back home. “I knew I was going to move back to Michigan,” said Bryan. “I was born and raised (in Michigan), this is where my people are. Also, Bryan was burnt out by the division in D.C. as the White House transitioned from the Obama administration to the Trump administration. Therefore, she knew this was the time to come home.
When Kate moved back to Michigan, she didn’t know what was in store for her future, as she didn’t have a job lined up. One day she was reading “Detroit: An American Autopsy” by journalist Charlie LeDuff. The book featured two phrases, one saying, “There is hope” and the other saying “It will rise from the ashes.” At that moment, Kate knew what she wanted to do. That’s when 1 Girl Revolution came to be.
Bryan is the founder and CEO of 1 Girl Revolution, a multi-media platform to elevate women’s voices, with the focus being on younger girls. It started as a podcast as Kate found that to be the easiest way to collect stories and connect with others. The original goal was to do 10 episodes, now there are over 150 episodes.
Bryan in her studio recording an episode of the 1 Girl Revolution Podcast. Courtesy of Bryan.
Continuing off the momentum of the podcast, Kate started making short documentaries. The first one, “The Girl Inside,” was released in September 2020. The documentary was about Dr. Laura Biaji teaching a storytelling class to incarcerated women. Also, the short film talked to these incarcerated women, not about what they did, but who they are as people. The documentary was even nominated for an Emmy award.
Kate released a second documentary titled “In Tandem” that was released in May 2022. The documentary is about a young woman who opened a restaurant in the worst neighborhood in Milwaukee. The woman made it a point to hire people no one else would, such as a pregnant woman, kids being targeted by drug dealers, and those who were just leaving prison. The goal was to give people a shot who were in need of it. When the pandemic hit, the owner of the restaurant shut the restaurant down and was only feeding those who were in need. She ended up feeding 115,000 people during the pandemic.
Kate’s goals for the future is to grow and evolve 1 Girl Revolution, as well as her own self. This includes making more documentaries and turning into a documentary series. Also, instead of only being nominated for an Emmy, Kate is hoping to be the winner of such.
