This is the 88th article in Bears Doing Big Things, a weekly column celebrating the stories of notable M-A alumni.
“If someone had told me in high school that I’d be on this path, I wouldn’t have believed them, but I’m so grateful I am,” Allen Ryan ’18 said. Ryan is an emergency management planner for the city of Boston, developing plans to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies while ensuring public safety.
At M-A, Ryan loved his social studies and government classes, specifically AP European History with John Florio. “He was a big inspiration to what I do now, sparking my interest in government,” Ryan said.
“M-A was a really welcoming community when I was there,” Ryan continued. “I distinctly remember the 2016 election, finding out the results at M-A. It was a very intense moment with a lot of emotion going around, but I appreciated the community coming together so closely.”
After graduating, Ryan attended Merrimack College majoring in business administration with a focus on management and marketing, but felt unsatisfied. “I honestly just didn’t like what I was learning at the time,” he said. “The private sector wasn’t for me, but I had to learn that through studying it in college.”
Throughout college, Ryan also pursued his interest in politics by working and interning in congressional offices, which ultimately led him to enroll in a master’s program. He also worked in a town manager’s office near Merrimack, improving emergency medical response for large-scale events.
Following college, Ryan worked as a grant manager for the city of Boston. “I spent most of my time working on a grant called the Urban Area Security Initiative, which is an anti-terrorism grant designed to keep metro areas protected and provides benefits and safety to metropolitan areas,” he explained.
Currently, Ryan serves as an emergency management planner with the city of Boston, in their office of emergency management. In his role, Ryan safeguards public spaces and community events, such as the Boston Marathon. “It’s not a well-known field in government but it’s important as we are giving back to the community while keeping everyone safe,” he said.
“Every day is different. Any event that may happen could be different, and you never know what’s going to occur, so I have to be prepared at all times,” Ryan continued.
Ryan’s advice for current M-A students: “It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do after high school. I certainly had no idea, and I didn’t figure it out until I was almost done with college. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable because it really will work out eventually.”
To those interested in emergency management: “Keep an open mind. It’s an unusual career but it’s a lot of fun and can be very rewarding. If you’ve ever thought about being a firefighter or police officer but don’t want to commit to that, it could be for you. Give it a shot, you might like it.”
