Bryan Strange graduated from Merrimack in 2025 with a degree in business administration and concentrations in marketing and management. During his time on campus, he spearheaded significant efforts to expand the resources and community support for fellow veterans in the community. Today, Bryan owns and operates his own social media and marketing company, a move that he says was made possible by the skills he learned and support he received from the Merrimack community.
When Bryan arrived at Merrimack as a Marine veteran and transfer student, the first thing he noticed was the setting: “I loved that it was a smaller campus on one flat level,” he said. While there were many helpful people and resources available during his matriculation, he still encountered some challenges when it came to things like translating VA benefits into credits and books for his classes. While Bryan had no doubt of Merrimack’s commitment to supporting veterans, he had identified an opportunity to amplify and update the campus resources.
Most people know that Merrimack was founded in 1947 to prepare World War II veterans for the post-war workforce. However, Bryan also discovered that, while Merrimack routinely receives high rankings in various local and national listings, it was ranked the #1 school for veterans in 2016, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Thus, Bryan felt inspired to continue this legacy, leading him to found the Warriors for Warriors group on campus.
Warriors for Warriors is a club that supports veterans by connecting students (those with and without military experience–all are welcome) to promote veteran-related resources and offer assistance in navigating them. Warriors for Warriors also hosts charity events for local veterans and active military, such as fundraisers, coat drives and card-writing. Many of the initiatives that Bryan led with Warriors for Warriors are still in place today, like the Veteran’s Day celebration, a safe room on campus for students experiencing PTSD and thoroughly updated information on the college website to help veterans navigate enrollment.
Upon graduating, Bryan moved to Florida and launched Thundermade Media LLC, a social media and marketing company named after his service dog, Thunder, who was with him during his time at Merrimack. Although Bryan only graduated last spring, Thundermade Media has successfully secured clients for a number of projects, including video creation, social media management, digital marketing and email marketing. In December, the company sponsored its first event, a Christmas festival, where Bryan was able to expand his network even further.
Bryan credits his professional success to Merrimack’s commitment to experiential learning across all departments. By founding Warriors for Warriors, he gained firsthand experience in digital marketing and event planning, skills that proved instrumental to his career. He couldn’t have done it alone, though–from Student Affairs to the Office of Student Involvement to IT, Bryan received enthusiastic support all over campus. He was able to further hone his skillset by attending the O’Brien Center’s Professional Development Retreat (with Thunder, of course). “I worked with so many great people,” Bryan recalls. “The classes were valuable in developing a foundation, but I learned so much outside the classroom, too. The college made it possible for me to thrive as a student, a veteran and a service dog handler.”
Inspired by Bryan’s success? Join the MPN to keep up with other alumni success stories like this one.
