Ryan’s decision to transfer to Justin-Siena before his junior year was based, primarily, in curiosity. Harrison remembered wanting “to spice things up a little.” He left everything and everyone he knew from Vallejo and Benicia behind to give a small school in Napa, where he knew no one, his best shot. He also had to work to pay his tuition, unlike many other students, but Ryan didn’t mind.

The year Ryan transferred to Justin-Siena, the varsity football team won the North Coast Section Championship. This an experience that Harrison believes has shaped who he is today. “Justin-Siena athletics changed my life. Playing sports at Justin-Siena is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. But I didn’t know it at the time.”

He has tremendous gratitude for Coaches Rich Cotruvo, Tom Bonfigli, and Steve Vargas. “They nurtured the fire that existed inside of me and helped me put it toward something useful.”

When asked about influential moments or experiences Ryan had at Justin-Siena, he responded: “Justin-Siena gave me the courage to believe in myself. It is the first time I entered into an environment that was unlike anything I had experienced before, but I trusted myself, who I was, and what I represented. There, I thrived.” Since Justin-Siena, Harrison has done this over and over again in different iterations. Whether living in Argentina with a family who speaks no English and attending a local university to study Argentine culture and Spanish, or stepping into a board room full of people who don’t look like him, or standing up in court to argue a difficult case, he has learned to trust himself and have faith things will always work out. “I owe this to Justin-Siena where I received my very first lesson in exploration.”

After graduating from Justin-Siena, Ryan attended UC Davis. There he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. Reflecting on his time at the institution, Harrison remarked “UC Davis is a phenomenal institution, but it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. What kept me grounded there was my fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, and, for a short period of time, the Aggie football team.” Post-graduation, Ryan found himself working in the California State Senate as a Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. The position was a law-enforcement position with special investigation work as well as other tasks, “I was one of the men in a dark suit with the sunglasses who spoke into a microphone hidden in his sleeve.” A year of this job had Harrison hooked. He quickly enrolled at California State University, Sacramento, where he earned his master’s degree in criminal justice, impressively while still working a law-enforcement job.

While attending CSUS, Ryan was asked to serve as the Student Body President for all of the graduate students at the University. This role required his time, energy, and expertise as a part of many different committees and panels as well as an advisor to the Dean of Graduate Studies. Harrison described this experience as one, “that tested my leadership and my humility… CSUS was my launchpad into law school, where I continued my leadership through service.” As a first-year law student at UC Hastings, College of the Law in San Francisco, Ryan had to, once again, demonstrate his leadership skills when he was asked by the Student Body President to lead a group of students to the California Legislature. In 2012, Harrison and five peers “argued that UC Hastings deserved more from the State of California during a time when student tuition was skyrocketing and state contribution was diminishing.” Ryan and his fellow students were extremely successful. Their hard work resulted in the largest budgetary allotment ever received from the State Legislature which halted increases in tuition, enabled the construction of two new buildings, as well as the renovation of a third.

Harrison currently works at Lozano Smith, a public agency law firm in California that represents school districts, special districts, cities, and counties. Originally hired to expand the Municipal Law Section into the Sacramento Region, he is now preparing to step into the role of City Attorney. Daily, he works with different clients from various backgrounds and work environments. His work-day includes conducting internal ethics and conflict of interest investigations of high-level city staff, and elected officials. Ryan also has footing in education law: he gives advice and does counsel work for school districts, occasionally conducts Title IX investigations on college campuses, and has also handled a few dismissal arbitrations for certificated teachers and classified personnel. He is also very involved in the field of healthcare, specifically focused on labor and workers. One of his major clients is a large county hospital with close to a dozen separate labor unions and thousands of employees.

When asked the most challenging aspect of his job at Lozano Smith, Ryan mentioned, “part of my job requires me to look people in the eye and explain to them why they deserve to lose their job. This is not an easy thing to do and it requires a lot of courage and inner strength.” While this is an evident struggle for Harrison, it is obvious that his work is extremely self-rewarding. He describes his job as one that allows him to, “...use sound judgment to solve difficult problems for good people.” Ryan sees himself as a “strategist” and backed this up by stating, “Knowing the law is just a small component of who I am. I want to be the guy you call when you have a problem, whatever that problem is.”

Ryan’s dedication to the community around him is admirable and evident through his work at Lozano Smith, however, it is even more prevalent in his time spent out of the office. Harrison recalled an early life-lesson learned from his grandfather and hero which helps to explain his tireless civic engagement and service, “He taught me to always serve in the community and that there is no more noble of a cause than to serve others.”

Since returning to Sacramento from law school, Ryan has served two terms on the Board of Cottage Housing Inc. which is a homeless housing non-profit agency founded by Bishop Francis A. Quinn of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. He also serves on the Board of the Wiley Manual Bar Association of Sacramento County, and the board of the California Association of Black Lawyers. In both of these roles, he is a leader among African American attorneys in the County of Sacramento, and the State of California. “We engage in multiple acts of community service every month, and our efforts are meant to uplift the African American community and to help create future African American judges to better represent African Americans in the legal community,” explained Harrison.

Ryan serves on the board of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program (NELP) which he described as a program that develops and nurtures diverse leaders in the Sacramento Region. He is also a Commissioner on the City of West Sacramento Board of Appeals, where he serves as a quasi-judicial officer. “In this role, I am like an appellate judge reviewing matters consisting of municipal code violations.” In the past, Harrison has served on the Democratic Central Committee of Yolo County. Finally, he is also heavily involved with his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, which is committed to achievement in all fields of human endeavor, and emphasizes community leadership through service.

“Justin-Siena helped fortify within me a sense of service, community, and religion. My family and I continue with our Catholic tradition as members of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Sacramento.” Ryan and his wife, Doris, have a three-year-old daughter, Ryan Sofia.

His advice to current Justin-Siena students: “No matter where you are, or where you go, trust yourself. Have faith that things will always work out in the end. Put one foot in front of the other foot and go! Never listen to fear, only know where it is and what it is so you can defeat it. The mountain exists for you to climb. The empty road is there for you to travel. Life is here for you to experience all of it, the good and the bad. Create wonderful memories. Find humility in the growth experience, because it is very humbling. Never forget to be grateful to God and to the people around you. Without them, you cannot exist.”

As for his future plans, Ryan intends to become a trial court judge, and then an appellate justice. He stated, “I feel as if my personal experience has blessed me with deep insight, empathy, and wisdom. I’ve overcome tremendous personal adversity to be where I am today and I continue to grow and evolve building more upon the foundation already constructed. I can use all that I have learned to help facilitate the administration of justice and to help shape a better society for each of us. I’ve committed myself to a lifetime of service. My path leads to here.”