Brandon Dean is a sophomore who is best known for his initiative entitled Team On Your Side. This movement involves various students in an effort to renew leadership on Howard’s campus. Students around campus mainly recognize Dean for his altruistic personality and compassion for others. Excited to give Hercampus-Howard University a bit of insight into his life, Dean shares what it is like to change a university through persistence and political activism.
What kind of legacy would you like to leave at Howard University?
I have worked to empower people around me. I know that one day I won’t be here so I don’t invest so much in making myself shine, rather, my focus is empowering those who will remain at Howard when I am no longer here.
What projects have you taken on recently?
The project that I have worked on is On Your Side. In developing On Your Side I focus on inclusion and energy. Freshness is important to me in whatever I endeavor. The way we keep On Your Side thriving with new energy is by bringing in new talent from the Howard community. There are things in this environment that force changes also but instead of resisting these forces, we allow them to work in our favor. On Your Side is always generating ideas on what we can do to make the largest impact in our community, so our initiatives, focuses, and programs can be changed up until the last day of planning. One unique thing that we focus on that sets us aside from a typical Howard group is that we start all of our programs early. Often people will arrive at events on time and be disappointed because the ball has not started rolling. We wanted to abandon the stereotype of always ” being a day late and a dollar short.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I read a lot. I follow Deepak Chopra on Twitter. His messages are so inspiring. I enjoy listening to performances by Lena Horne. I think she was so deeply and importantly talented. I greatly admire her for her infinite contribution to the world of entertainment and civil rights. My favorite thing to do is to go on dates. It’s always fun to meet a new friend and find out what she likes and what she wants to do in life, and all those other wonderful things you can only know about a person when you spend time with them.
If you had to describe yourself in 2 words what would you say and why?
To describe myself in two words I would say THOROUGH and BOLD. When it comes to work I don’t play around. I have high expectations and I put my heart into what I’m doing. I surround myself with people who do the same. My boldness is centered on my innovative ideas that attract all types of inspiring opinions. I have found myself face to face with giants in the political, academic, and family structure and managed to be victorious in my pursuits.
Talk to me more about Team on Your Side. Why did you create this group and who is involved?
Team On Your Side is about students. It is about students who have so long desired to get information about things that have not been so clear to them in the past. It’s about students who need a campus wide advocate for the causes that they often may feel too intimidated to speak out about. More importantly, Team On Your Side is about unity, the unity of current students and future generations. Generative responsibility, as Dr. Eleanor Traylor puts it, is a unique responsibility that we have to engage those who will one day take our place.
What are some of your plans for the future, both academic and personal?
I often think about writing a book about my father, who recently passed away. I want to somehow incorporate his passing into my academics here at Howard. Very soon I want to have dinner with the Obamas. International travel is something I want to start soon as well. Doing these things alone always seems so boring to me, so I’d like to make some of my dating more official. Companionship is really my focus right now, while not being so heavily involved that one feels smothered.