22 D'MENSIONS MAGAZINE ALUMNIMAGAZINE.OSU.EDU | 29 support, resources and funding they need to gain independence and fulfillment in their daily lives. “It’s unfortunate what happened to me. Sometimes I get sad or frustrated,” says Ryan, a team captain, all-Big Ten and All-America player during the final two seasons of his Ohio State football career that spanned 2010 through 2014. “It hurts that I can’t play football anymore, but it has been a blessing that I was able to recover and can now help other people.” A first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ryan was a two-time All-Pro linebacker when he was injured December 4, 2017, while making a tackle during a Monday night game in Cincinnati. He sustained a spinal contusion, or a crushing of the spinal cord, which paralyzed his lower body and led to two surgeries and three months in the hospital. Feeling eventually returned to Ryan’s legs, and he regained the strength to not only walk, but dance with his bride, Michelle Rodriguez, at their wedding in May 2019. His new life came with a fresh perspective. “My injury definitely allowed me to be more relatable and allowed me to see through other people’s eyes,” Ryan says. “As an athlete, I was kind of just focused on how I see things and trying to get better at my craft every single day. Well, since I’ve been injured, I see what other people go through — what their lives are like and how tough things can be. It’s allowed me more empathy and understanding.” Curiosity led to that broadening of his view during his intensive rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rehabilitation Institute. Ryan befriended fellow patients and wondered why some weren’t at rehab sessions five days a week, as he was. They told him about systemic barriers, such as a lack of transportation to appointments and insurance coverage limiting them to 20 or 30 rehab sessions. “It wasn’t fair for those individuals to not get the same opportunities as me,” says Ryan, who had 130 rehab sessions while covered by NFL insurance. Moved to action by those patients and their caregivers and families, Ryan created his foundation, which has grown to serve Pittsburgh, western Pennsylvania and, most recently, eastern Ohio and Columbus. Photos, Jodi Miller (left), Corey Wilson Dr. Lorrie Clemo joined D’Youville faculty and staff members in celebrating the success of the University’s Ukrainian students during a breakfast held in 2024. DYU currently has 13 students from Ukraine enrolled on full scholarships, one of whom is completing his degree online from Norway. It’s been four years since the day Proponeko’s life was turned upside down. The Russo-Ukranian War has resulted in the casualties and fatalities of more than a half-million Ukrainian soldiers and more than 50,000 civilians. And despite ongoing peace talks, as of February of this year, the war continues. Two months after the invasion, D’Youville President Dr. Lorrie Clemo — upon learning that roughly 36,000 Ukrainian high school seniors were displaced and even more were directly impacted by the war — launched the Ukraine Student Fund to provide full scholarships and other support to students willing to travel across to Buffalo to continue their education. That summer, DYU sponsored 11 students, more than half of them — like Proponeko — from Kryvyi Rih, a city with three times the population of Buffalo at the start of the war and a city that became a symbolic target of Russian attacks, as it’s also the hometown of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Three weeks after Clemo’s offer in 2022, Denise DiRienzo joined D’Youville’s staff as chief mission officer, responsible for integrating mission and service into all aspects of the campus community. Among her first duties in her new role was that of liaison between the University and its incoming Ukrainian students, some of whom were barely 16 at the time. She recalls first meeting the majority of them when they landed in New York City that summer. “They were scared, but excited,” she says. “I remember telling them repeatedly, from the beginning, that we were proud of them and their courage. We knew the culture here was so different, but everyone [at D’Youville] was so welcoming. Our student government supported them, and we made sure they had TVs and bedding for their dorm rooms. We made sure they weren’t alone that first Thanksgiving, and when the campus lost power that winter after a terrible storm, the dining hall staff came together to make sure they were fed.” Four years later, as that first group of students prepare for commencement and the uncertain futures that await, DiRienzo says she’s proud of and impressed by the group’s resilience. “I know these students will go out and make a difference — make an impact — in whatever they do,” she says. “It’s bittersweet. I’ll miss the connections, but much like a parent, I’ve watched them grow and change here, and I’m excited for their future.”
