Focus, perseverance critical to success

For many, time management can be a difficult skill to hone. But Mikael Bryant ’14 credits his time at Cornell as essential to mastering the art of staying focused and meeting deadlines.

“One Course At A Time helped me learn how to perform under pressure and manage my time well,” says Bryant. “I always felt that I had a leg up on others in law school because I was used to writing long research papers in a short amount of time.”

Bryant, a history major with a minor in music, attended Oklahoma City University School of Law after graduating from Cornell. Passing the bar was the toughest professional challenge he ever faced. 

“Cornell taught me to push through when things got tough and not give up,” he says.

After his first summer in law school, Bryant traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to deepen his knowledge of the Arabic language and culture. While there, he met his wife, Rawan Al-Arab. Every few months, Bryant traveled to Lebanon and, in January 2016, they were married. 

Bryant and his wife recently bought a home in Oklahoma City, which they are enjoying with their 1-year-old son, Josef. 

Bryant works at the National Litigation Law Group as a defensive litigation lawyer. In addition to that, he is a board member on the Council on American Islamic Relations—Oklahoma Chapter, where he advises the board on various legal and regulatory issues. 

Bryant has some advice to students considering Cornell. 

“It is a life-changing experience,” he says. “You will go to this little college on a hilltop for a few years of your life and learn who you really are.”