Alumni Profile: Theresa O'Bryant

In 2025, Theresa O’Bryant will celebrate a milestone anniversary: 50 years of participation in and volunteerism at Agassiz Village. Her extraordinary commitment to our organization perfectly exemplifies the long-term trajectory of personal growth that Harry Burroughs envisioned for the children of Agassiz.

Theresa’s journey began in 1975, when she first attended camp as a 13-year-old girl from Mattapan. She had attended other summer camps previously, but that year her family was looking for a camp that all her siblings and cousins could attend. One cousin was physically challenged, and, at that time, Agassiz offered a program for children with disabilities.

In addition, growing up in Mattapan during the 1970s was especially tough. That neighborhood of Boston was home to many low-income and impoverished families, and drugs and violence were everyday norms. Theresa’s parents knew that getting their children out of Boston during the summer would be beneficial.

So, Theresa headed to Agassiz Village. That first summer she stayed in the Pioneer Section and participated in the Adventurers Program. “The program exposed me to things I had never done before like canoeing, and how to use an axe, build a fire, and fish,” she says. And although initially unsure about the camp, she met many other campers like her who have since become lifelong friends.

Two years later, after successfully completing sessions in the overnight program, Theresa returned as a Counselor-in-Training (CIT), working in the Pioneer Section and Explorers, as well as in the kitchen and office. She would continue to return as a counselor each year through 1984 when, at the age of 21, she coordinated the entire CIT Program.

“My favorite memory of camp was my CIT experience,” says Theresa. “I was able to work in a number of places and learned so much about how the camp operated.”

In all, Theresa worked at Agassiz for nine years. “Agassiz taught me to take on tough challenges with support and to be a leader,” she says. “Those experiences taught me how to take initiative and help others, and I value that.”

The most important lesson she learned at Agassiz was that the experience of the children was the top priority.  “The world is replete with people who are wired to be selfish,” says Theresa.  “Camp Director Donald Welch taught a valuable lesson in treating the children with respect and understanding as they deserved to enjoy themselves. It was our job (the counselors) to ensure this.”

You’ll often hear Theresa say, “I’m just a girl from Mattapan.” That reflects on her youth, when children from Mattapan and low-income neighborhoods did not expect to have many opportunities in life. But that girl from Mattapan is a true success story.

Theresa leveraged her experiences at Agassiz Village to achieve post-secondary gains and build a thriving career. She holds an undergraduate degree in business from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, an MBA from Western New England University, and a Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law. She spent time as a public defender and currently works as General Counsel at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston.

She credits the trajectory of her life to Agassiz Village. “These opportunities to try things you might never otherwise get a chance to do can change a child’s life,” she says. “Agassiz helps kids take more risks and try new things, and it helps inform their world. I think kids deserve an opportunity to see things outside of what’s immediately in front of them. A lot of our kids don’t get that.”

It’s no surprise, therefore, that Theresa is a strong advocate for Agassiz in the community, sharing the organization’s mission with government agencies and potential corporate benefactors. While she has always volunteered at Agassiz events and helped with fundraising efforts over the last five decades, for the last three years Theresa has served as president of the Agassiz Board of Directors, guiding the organization into the future. While she stepped down as president this year, she remains on the Board and is currently co-leading the initiative for the upcoming Capital Fund Campaign to expand donations and gifts to ensure Agassiz has a solid foundation for the future. 

Theresa’s experiences as a child and the opportunity she had at Agassiz have taught her the importance of volunteerism. Her efforts have yielded considerable results for Agassiz Village, and her work in the community has significantly enhanced our organizational capacity to advance meaningful social change by addressing the consequences of systemic inequities for the under-resourced youth Agassiz serves—inequities she knows quite well growing up in Mattapan.

In 2024, Theresa’s commitment to the community was recognized with two prestigious awards: the National Points of Light Award and the New England Patriots Foundation Difference Maker Award.

The National Points of Light Award, also known as the Daily Point of Light, honors individuals who demonstrate the transformative power of service. Established by President George H.W. Bush, it is designed to recognize those who are driving significant and sustained impact through their everyday actions, and who are meeting critical needs in their communities, especially those focused on the goals for children and youth.

“This award is a testament to Theresa’s remarkable commitment to volunteerism and community service on a national scale,” says Lisa Carter, Agassiz Village Executive Director. “It’s an incredible recognition of her tireless efforts and the impact she has made in our community and beyond.”

The New England Patriots Foundation Patriots Difference Maker of the Week Award is part of the Patriots’ Celebrate Volunteerism Initiative, which honors volunteers who make a difference in their communities. Theresa was invited to attend the Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills home game on January 5, where she was given the award on the field. In addition to this incredible recognition, the Patriots Difference Maker Award donated $10,000 to Agassiz Village.

Theresa’s tremendous leadership skills in the community harken back to what she learned at Agassiz Village, and she credits the program with helping to make her what she is today. “At a very young age, they gave us opportunities to lead in a positive way with guidance. You get a chance to try things and test your metal. You don’t get that chance in your youth a lot, especially given this opportunity with a safety net and guidance. You get to see you can do some things.”

And the reason she continues her association with Agassiz Village? “I was one of those kids,” she says, “and I like having the opportunity to do it for others. So I’ll do everything I can do to make sure kids have the same opportunity, whether it’s to donate money myself or get others to donate, so that some other kid from Mattapan—or Malden, or Lynn, or Lawrence, or wherever—can have the same chance to get out of the city and learn some new things and have the opportunity to change their world, their perspective, and their trajectory.”