In seventh grade, Cullen Bradley tried out for his middle school's boy's volleyball team and didn't make it. In eighth grade, he tried again and was rejected once more. Most students would have moved on to something else.

The recent Purdue computer engineering graduate had a different approach. "I don't like to take no for an answer," Bradley says, reflecting on those early setbacks. "If I don't make the team, I get really frustrated. And all I want to do is prove people wrong."

That relentless determination has carried him from those middle school rejections all the way to Tokyo, where he'll compete for Team USA at the Deaflympics this November as a member of the USA Deaf Men's Volleyball National Team.

This same perseverance would come to define not just his athletic journey, but his entire experience as an engineering student at Purdue University.

Cullen Bradley (CompE '25) will compete for Team USA at the Deaflympics this November as a member of the USA Deaf Men's Volleyball National Team.

Bradley's path to the USA Deaf Men's Volleyball National Team began with his success at Purdue's club volleyball program. His standout performance, including earning MVP honors at the D1 Double-A national championship in spring 2024, opened the door to elite deaf competition.

His selection represents a historic opportunity, both for him personally and for American deaf volleyball. "I don't know how much you know about the deaf men's volleyball history for the US, but we've never really had a great men's volleyball team," Bradley explains. The best finish in the program's history was a silver medal earned many years ago.

For Bradley, the prospect of medaling would validate years of perseverance. "If we were to get any kind of medal at this first tournament, I think everybody would be so excited."

The same persistence that kept Bradley trying out for volleyball teams served him well in Purdue's demanding engineering program. Bradley discovered that his athletic mindset translated directly to his engineering coursework.

"Both volleyball and most sports take a lot of time to learn, and most of those skills don't come right away. You have to really practice. You have to work," Bradley explains. "I think the same thing is true for engineering.

The parallels extend to handling pressure. "You always have high pressure situations on both sides. You have your big games, you have tournaments. Then you also have exams, you have projects, and you have a lot of grades that really are important."

This mindset proved invaluable during his Purdue years. "Coming from Purdue, you learn to struggle in every class that you take," he says. "You learn about how to persevere through those problems. I think that's a very big part of why Purdue education is so great."

Alongside his academic pursuits, volleyball served a crucial role in Bradley's college life. "One of the biggest things about club volleyball is that many teams don't have coaches. It's all player run," Bradley explains. "You set your tone yourself, so you don't have a coach who's there to push you in everything."

For Bradley, this became essential for managing his academic program. "It kind of became a really good way for me to get away from some of the rigors of that engineering life," he says. "I think that club volleyball helped me. I also built a lot of friendships through it, and I felt like it helped to take away from the stress of Purdue a little bit."

Bradley began losing his hearing when he was between six months and one year old, and by age 2 or 3, he was fully deaf. He received bilateral cochlear implants when he was around 4 or 5 years old. These implants, combined with lip-reading and other visual cues, enable him to communicate effectively in social and professional settings.

Bradley's transition to Purdue presented unique challenges that went beyond the typical freshman adjustment. Moving from high school classrooms of 30 students to lecture halls with "200 plus" students in courses like Calculus I and II created significant obstacles for someone who is deaf.

"A lot of times the mic isn't the clearest, or you have somebody next to you talking. And for me, it makes it very difficult," Bradley explains. His communication also relies heavily on visual cues. "I read lips a lot in my communication. Sometimes, you know, you're sitting far enough away, you can't really see what they're saying, or, you know, they're facing away or they're looking down."

Bradley found solutions through Purdue's Disability Resource Center. "It's great. There are a lot of different things you can do. I was able to get a transcriber, somebody to come up with the transcripts of some of my lectures," he says. He also utilized online lectures for review and relied on classmates for support.

His advice to other students is clear: "If you're not taking advantage of the resources that you're given, it makes it way more difficult to succeed."

Bradley's approach to career development proved as strategic as his athletic pursuits. He first connected with his eventual employer at Purdue's Industrial Roundtable in Fall 2023, though he didn't immediately secure an interview. Drawing from his experience with volleyball rejections and applying the same persistence, he refined his approach and reconnected with the same company at the Purdue EXPO career fair the following spring.

"I learned a lot from talking to different companies. And then I was able to get an interview, and eventually my internship offer," Bradley says. The internship at a small company presented a steep learning curve. "I struggled a lot in my first month, even as an intern there," he admits.

However, his Purdue experience and instilled grit had prepared him for this challenge. The hands-on experience proved invaluable, and by December, the company extended him a full-time offer.

His advice for fellow students emphasizes interpersonal skills: "You want to have good interpersonal skills because obviously you can have the greatest technical skills in the world. But if you can't talk to an interviewer one on one, I don't think you're going to get a job offer."

Bradley's journey from rejected middle school volleyball player to Deaflympian offers a clear message for current students: find your outlet and embrace the struggle.

"Find something that you love to do and find other people who also love to do the same thing," he advises. "I think everybody should find that thing for them. Obviously, it might not be a sport, but if you can find that thing, it'll help you so much in growing, finding friendships and developing skills."

Volleyball also helped Bradley develop the social confidence crucial for engineering students. "You really have to be the one to break the ice sometimes. I think in engineering especially, there are a lot of people who aren't the most outgoing."

As Bradley prepares for Tokyo this November, he carries with him the same philosophy that got him through those early rejections: never take no for an answer, and always look for the next opportunity to prove yourself.