Name: Rhyan Breen

Class: 2007

Major: Political Science

Minor: Legal Studies

Hometown: Wilson, North Carolina

Clubs & Organizations: Debate Team, Lector Club (Historian), Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Alpha Chi, Pi Sigma
Alpha, Residence Hall Honorary, Resident Advisor

Sport: Football

Favorite thing about MU: The people

Best moment at MU: Winning the USA South football championship in 2005

Favorite thing to do in Fayetteville: Hanging out downtown.

Internships, independent study or other interesting academic endeavors
you've done while at MU: Internship with the Cumberland County School Board Attorney, Law Day at local elementary schools.

Career aspirations: Become a lawyer and protect the rights of people who can't protect themselves.

Something about yourself that people would be surprised to know: I do not
like mayonnaise.

Favorite movie: Tombstone

Favorite TV show: Family Guy

Favorite book: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Favorite color: Blue

Do you prefer the beach or the mountains? Mountains

If you have graduated, what are you doing now? Going to NCCU law school

How I chose Methodist is actually a really cool thing. The Methodist football coaches were interested in me. When they found out I was interested in the law, they had Ms. Wendy Vonnegut call me. She’s the director of the Legal Studies program. We talked on the phone for two hours about my goals and the Legal Studies program at Methodist. I had offers from numerous schools. But the coaches taking an interest in my academic goals and Ms. Vonnegut’s willingness to take the time to talk to me for so long when she didn’t even know me indicated the lengths to which Methodist was willing to go to help me succeed once I was there.

And I was right. Ms. Vonnegut makes studying law relevant. She takes stories from the headlines in the newspaper and applies them to what we’re studying. She takes law out of the book and makes it real. With the newspaper stories as the backdrop, you are able to connect the concept and the reality. Through the debate team, I learned to structure argument—to get my point of view across, even when others didn’t agree with me. I also learned to recognize fallacy in other people’s logic. Competitive debate has made me a better researcher, more articulate and able to think on my feet.

Methodist University surrounded me with people from all over the world. It’s mind blowing to be in class discussing modern literature and hear someone who has lived in the Eastern Bloc give her perspective on what you are reading. I have been exposed to multiple worldviews and now have a greater understanding of how people from different areas of the world view us. From a very young age, I was argumentative. Everyone always said I should be a lawyer. I can say without reservation that I have received all the tools I need from Methodist University to achieve that goal.

Breen named MU Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year