Quandt-Ryan Works to Make a Difference in the Lives of Others Every Day

One door closing led to another door opening and brought Brianna Quandt-Ryan, ’14, from Pueblo, Colorado, to Midland University.

Quandt-Ryan will be honored as the 2026 Midland University Young Alumni Award recipient during the Sunday, Sept. 27th Alumni & Legacy Banquet at the Wikert Event Center.

She was originally recruited to play lacrosse at Dana College, but when the school closed in 2010, she, and the majority of the program, made the move to Midland.

Though she was a History major, Quandt-Ryan would follow a calling to be a public servant and has been with the Fremont Police Department for more than a decade, currently assigned to routine patrol.

Her favorite part of her work is that every day is different, and she never knows what she might encounter once she starts her shift. She enjoys the hands-on aspect of working with the public, and is proud when she can make a direct impact in the community while handling the variety of calls and situations that patrol brings each day.

Quandt-Ryan was honored by the Omaha Baseball Village during the 2025 College World Series for her work in helping save a child’s life after that child was choking on a bottle cap.

She said that although there are challenging days, what keeps the job rewarding for her is knowing that she has the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life each day. Knowing that she was able to help someone, or make the community a little safer, is what makes the job meaningful to her.

“Receiving the Young Alumni Award is an incredible honor and it means more than I can put into words,” she said. “My college played an important role in shaping the person and professional I am today. To be recognized by a place that invested so much in me early in my career is extremely humbling.

“I am proud of the path I have taken since graduating, but I also recognize I did not get here alone. The lessons, relationships, and experiences I gained at Midland helped prepare me for the challenges and responsibilities that come with being a police officer, a leader, and a member of my community. To this day, some of my best friends were ones I met through school and athletics. I was able to meet my husband (Brett, ’16) at Midland, and we now have three beautiful children (Warson, Waylon, Sunny) because of that.”