At just 6 years old, Gigi Edwards Bryant MBA’02 was placed in the foster care system. Bryant was separated from her mother and siblings, in a situation that led to her being sexually assaulted, abused and starved.

But the alumna’s trials didn’t end there. She became a mother at the age of 18, then suffered through two abusive marriages and the execution of her brother, who was on death row.

Still, the Austin native was able to overcome her past and pursue her master’s degree at UT Dallas in 2000 after working full time and earning her bachelor’s degree in business and computer science at St. Edward’s University.

Bryant is the founder of GMSA Management Services, a business development consulting firm where she served as president for 26 years. She has also continued to serve the Austin community through her involvement with civic and nonprofit organizations. Bryant has served as chairwoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services advisory council, and she currently serves as chair of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees.

Bryant is also the founder of the Write To Me Foundation, which she established in 2004 to provide rite-of-passage experiences to youth who have lived in the foster care system.