Bridgewater was the place. I often say it was life-changing, and it was in a bunch of ways.
When it came time to pursue a college education, Dr. Mike Vieira, ’75, G’82, had a dream school in mind: Bridgewater State.
Vieira’s favorite schoolteachers had earned their degrees as Bears, so Bridgewater immediately stood out to the aspiring educator.
“Bridgewater was the place,” said Vieira, who studied English as an undergraduate and earned a master's degree in teaching English. “I often say it was life-changing, and it was in a bunch of ways.”
After several decades teaching middle school, high school and college students, Vieira is gaining a new perspective on his alma mater as a member of the Board of Trustees. Vieira has served on the Bridgewater Alumni Association Board since 2015, and his fellow board members elected him to become the university’s newest trustee.
“I’m honored to be in this position, and I look forward to representing the alumni to the best of my abilities for as long as I can,” he said.
As a Bridgewater student, Vieira joined the Campus Comment student newspaper at the urging of a professor. He quickly fell in love with journalism and publishing, from writing stories to laying out pages to thriving in the sometimes-chaotic newsroom. His first article was on the 1973 resignation of U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew.
Vieira taught English and journalism for 20 years at Fall River’s Durfee High School, where he advised Durfee’s student publications.
“It all goes back to Bridgewater,” he said. “I created a newsroom atmosphere that really replicated the Comment.”
He went on to work as an assistant professor of computer information systems and an administrator at Bristol Community College. Vieira helped organize international trips that provided community college students with global perspectives similar to those he gained at Bridgewater on a trip to Portugal.
Today, Bridgewater students continue to benefit from the global education, hands-on lessons, and individual support which Vieira experienced as a Bear, and subsequently based his teaching career on.
“In a lot of ways, it’s paying it forward,” he said of being an educator. “I always try to keep an eye on those students who need that little extra push. ... You are responsible for helping develop future citizens and future leaders.”
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