Ryan Birmingham – Collier High School 1999-2001
“Everyone
is so accepting, and everyone makes you feel comfortable,” said Ryan
Birmingham. “Whatever you were into ‘worked’ at Collier.” Ryan attended
Collier during his sophomore and junior years before returning to his
home district for senior year and graduation. A self-described “preppy
jock,” Ryan said that he had stayed within his own clique in public
school and did not give others a chance. “I was very judgmental [when I
came], but that all changed at Collier…It changed me because it was the
norm for everyone to interact there.”
In
addition to his social maturation during his Collier years, Ryan also
discovered his vocation. Taking Agri- Science at Collier opened his eyes
to a career that he has since pursued and at which he has excelled.
Referring to his Agri-Science teacher, John Staggard, Ryan said, “Stag’s
the one who got me going. He set the path for what I ended up doing
later in life and I became good at it. Mr. Stag was awesome!” Along with
Mr. Staggard, Ryan said that all the teachers and staff were so
supportive and accepting. When asked what the best thing about Collier
was, Ryan barely needed to think. “Not being told that I’m different or
that my learning disability was going to hold me back,” reflected Ryan.
“At Collier, I was spoken with instead of spoken at.” He also felt the
individuality that so many students feel when they attend Collier. “The
staff truly cared and wanted to help in any way they could and they
basically changed my life,” he said. “Instead of being one in 100, I was
one of theirs.”
After
graduating from high school, Ryan chose to continue his study of
Agri-Science and combine it with one of his other passions, golf. He
attended turf school at Rutgers and started a landscaping company with a
friend. At age 22, he bought out his partner to continue the
landscaping company on his own and, by the age of 27, Ryan was doing
commercial land maintenance, high-end estate landscaping, and snow
management while overseeing 35 employees. During this time, Ryan also
graduated from UMass Amherst with a Bachelor’s in Turf Grass Science
through an intensive condensed program. Ryan eventually sold his
business and is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Grounds at
Cape May National Golf Club. “I love being outside,” he said. “Being in
an office environment just doesn’t work for me!”
Fifteen
years later, Ryan still shares a strong bond with many of his Collier
classmates who have remained very close friends and see one another
every couple of weeks. Ryan says that they have all stayed in touch
because, as they learned at Collier, they are all very accepting and
supportive despite their different backgrounds and experiences. “It’s
like we’re all going through this [life] together, and we all just ‘get’
one another.” They have even started a quasi-Alumni Association to
maintain the Collier connection and help raise funds to support the
current school program, as featured above.
Recalling
how his family reacted when he first came to Collier and how much they
appreciated it once he was here, Ryan had a message for parents. “[They]
need to hear that your kid is gonna be OK [at Collier],” he emphasized.
“They’re getting the help they need there.” Ryan also credits Collier
with giving him the life skills he has needed to become successful in
his career. “I wouldn’t have done the things I did if it hadn’t been for
Collier,” he said. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and, without
Collier, I would not have achieved any of the things that I have.”