About Brian

First, thanks for reading!  I hope you share your thoughts, perspective, and insight while you’re here.

I’m a twenty-something born and raised in the Northeast, living in the south.  I’m a graduate student in Educational Administration with a Specialization in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education at Texas A&M University (read more about my coursework here).  I am a brother, a son, an educator, and constantly energized and motivated by those around me.  I love thinking about the way the world (and education) could be, committing myself to thinking about the ways that I can impact it, and challenging myself to grow in new environments. I’m a goofball fighting his way out of a quiet, introspective, future, and goal-focused life-long learner.

I am a graduate of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island with a degree in Psychology (you can read more about my academic journey here).  Additionally, I serve as a student member to the the National Association for Campus Activities Board of Directors.  To learn more about my skills and experiences, click here.  If you like what I have to say and want to get to know more about me, follow me on Twitter!

Outside of my academic and professional pursuits, I love music. I play guitar, and I have performed in a variety of venues from coffee houses to campus-wide events. I enjoy editing videos, and do plenty of surfing the web. I am a novice in the ways of  social networking and blogging, but I am always working to learn new things and pass on what I can!

Views expressed are my own [well, mostly-- we're just collections of the ideas and experiences around us anyways], and do not represent those of my graduate program, employer, or other companies, associations, or parties I may be affiliated with [I think that pretty much covers it, right? I'll be honest, while I've taken Higher Ed Law, I'm not sure if this holds any legal weight. I think it sounds solid].

Why Student Affairs: Farm League?

I can’t help but identify some of the striking similarities between Student Affairs (and academia) and the American structure of major league baseball, working through an undergrad (AAA, farm league), application and acceptance (tryouts) for  Master’s programs (AA), going through the Placement Exchange (the draft) and then the pros, and becoming a professional in the field.  And the land donated to create my undergraduate University (RWU) built on farm land just reinforced the pun and analogy.  Thus, Student Affairs: Farm League

My Interest in Student Affairs…

I entered RWU as a Business student, focused on getting a Marketing degree, ultimately planning to be an ad manager.  Needless to say, I caught the Student Affairs “bug.”  I changed majors and started to think about what I wanted to do more intentionally as it pertained to providing meaningful experiences for other students.  I started talking to professionals in the field about what it would take, and more importantly, what I could do to get there. I focused on finding those opportunities, and continued to focus on my goals, allowing them to evolve with my interests from my experiences.  Looking back, I can say that I’ve had a wide variety of experiences, working with departments throughout the division of student affairs, including Career Services, Student Activities, Student Government Leadership Programs, Orientation, Residence Life, and Service Learning.  Being able to define my career goals early definitely opened the doors for some fantastic experiences.

A mentor in the field once told me “…without a plan, the future is an unkown and can be intimidating. With your plans and goals for the future, it is bright and with limitless possibilities.”