Sometimes you can be a champion without ever making it into a game.  

The dream of football success at Bryant didn’t pan out exactly as planned for Elijah Infante ’25. But he proved to be a “five-tool player” off the field, graduating with a major in Politics and Law, minors in Business Administration, History, and Legal Studies, plus the mental fortitude to overcome adversity and become the first college graduate in his family — an occasion celebrated by a 13-strong contingent who made the journey from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Smithfield to support Infante at Undergraduate Commencement in May. 

Infante grew up in Miami, Florida, and New Britain, Connecticut, raised by a single mom in a household where financial struggle was an everyday fact of life. However, in a life-changing moment, he earned a scholarship to attend high school at Kingswood Oxford, a private preparatory school in West Hartford.  

“Kingswood Oxford changed my perspective on life and school,” he says. “I met people I never thought could even exist. It genuinely opened my mind to the possibility that I could make something of myself. It offered me the opportunity to excel at a school where I wasn't eating free lunch every day, and I was able to connect with teachers who understood my circumstances and the adjustments I was making to this new life.” 

In high school, Infante was an honors student as well as a three-year starting defensive back for the football team, leading to him being successfully recruited by Bryant. 

Unfortunately, injuries and other factors kept him from ever playing a single down with the Bulldogs. Yet he demonstrated his tenacity by staying on the roster all four years he was at the university.

“Since my first year I have worked day in and day out, sacrificing time with my family during breaks and summers to get extra time to train,” he says. “When you play collegiate sports, there are no guarantees. Whether I was running with the first-string players during spring ball or camp, or helping the offense prepare on scout team, I gave it my all and left with no regrets.”  

Bryant head football coach Chris Merritt praised Infante, saying, “He is a great kid who worked hard and did everything we asked of him.” 

“I was raised to finish what I started, and that's exactly what I did,” says Infante. “Adversity falls on every player in different ways, but it motivated me to keep going no matter what obstacles stood in my way. I'd do it all over again, because it made me who I am today.” 

That motivation helped drive Infante, recipient of the 2022-23 Susan L. Farmer Endowed Scholarship, to plenty of other success at Bryant. In addition to completing his impressive coursework, he served as a resident advisor in the Bristol first-year residence hall, earned a summer internship at Providence law firm Hinckley Allen, and cemented plans to continue his post-graduate education back home in North Carolina. 

“I took on three minors to show my future job or graduate program that I am well versed and can multitask and assist in any field."

“I took on three minors to show my future job or graduate program that I am well versed and can multitask and assist in any field,” he says. “Having a background in history allows recruiters to see that I can do deep research and analysis. Legal studies and business administration were to show that I intend to expand my knowledge in the legal structures of business.” 

Infante says his Bryant experience has, like Kingswood Oxford, been life changing. 

“Coming from a big family, I felt right at home because of the tight-knit community we have here at Bryant,” he says. “I have been able to explore new paths in my academic journey and grow as a person being around students from different states, countries, and cultures. The IDEA program was the first time I was able to work with a team and create an innovative service or product with real world analytics and research.” 

Clad in his academic robes, diploma in hand, Infante’s pride in his achievement is evident, yet tempered with humility.  

“This was never a one-man job,” he says. “My family has been there through good and bad. My mom went through so much in her life just so I could have a better life. There is nothing I can do to repay her but be the best version of myself I can.” 

“This was never a one-man job."

For his parents, Inez Infante and Daheem Williams, and the brothers, cousins, aunts, and uncles in attendance, the admiration is clearly mutual.  

“I'm extremely proud,” says Inez. “He has beat so much adversity. His journey playing football and education is what brought him here, and it's been hard and challenging. But he made it. I am a first-generation immigrant, and he’s one of the first college graduates of our generation in America. It's a proud moment for all of us.”