Ryan Barbosa, SBS Class of 2008, loves helping speak up for those who can’t always speak up for themselves. It’s a life principle for him, one that his StoneBridge experience helped develop in him during his high school years. He attended StoneBridge from 10th through 12th grade.
“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy,” Proverbs 31:8-9 states. These are words he says he tries lives by, both in his work life and his personal life.
Ryan currently serves clients as vice president of Barbosa Insurance Agency Inc., which he says offers new opportunities every day to share his faith, whether it’s helping them with claims or visiting their home to set up a life insurance policy. Ryan says his unique position enables him to further the Kingdom of God in different ways.
“Many of my co-workers call me the Swiss Army knife because of my versatility and knowledge in the insurance and financial industry,” he said. “The StoneBridge experience definitely helped mold me into who I am as a person today. I am a stronger leader in the workforce and my career because of knowing my current roles in life, which are to continue to spread God’s word and to love my family each and every day.”
During high school, basketball was a big part of Ryan’s life at StoneBridge.
“I will always remember when we won the state championship in 2007, my junior season,” he said.
Coach Cal Woolard, who was Ryan’s coach at SBS, extolled Ryan’s work ethic and the impact of leadership skills on and off the court.
“Ryan was not only a hard-working student academically but also as a basketball player. He was fun to coach because of his work ethic on and off the team,” he said. “As captain his junior and senior years, he was a leader not just in title. He made the people around him better because he was a great teammate. He was also respected by his opponents because he played the game like it was supposed to be played.”
Though he attended StoneBridge for only three years, Ryan still keeps in touch with many of the friends he made during that season. He agrees, as many alumni have stated, that the academic expectations and senior thesis project prepared him well for college and his career.
“Luckily, I had a class back in the day called consumer math and it gave scenarios of budgeting, mortgages, interest rates, and overall finances that everyone deals with,” he explained. “Not everyone does Algebra II, Calculus, or Chemistry every day, but we all have to pay bills, save money, communicate with our spouses, and pay for groceries.”
After graduating from StoneBridge, Ryan attended Christopher Newport University and Old Dominion University. He graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation and hospitality management with a minor in business.
“My faith keeps me grounded and also, at the same time, gives me power — not power like I am a superhuman but power in that I know who my Savior is and that God loves me,” he said.
That knowledge alone grounds him and gives him great confidence in every area of his life.
When he’s not on the job, Ryan is often involved in coaching youth soccer, basketball, football, and baseball. His faith plays a big role in his leadership style.
“I can see the kids grow from the beginning of the season to the end. Their attitudes, sportsmanship, and character evolve and grow. None of that is possible without God and Him giving me the tools to coach these young people,” he said.
Ryan and his wife, Randee, live in Virginia Beach with their two sons, Wynn, age 9, and Rowan, age 5. They attend church in Virginia Beach.