Brandon Foo, a 22-year-old New Jersey native is a senior majoring in business and engineering with a concentration in finance and management information systems. While beginning his fifth year on campus, Brandon also became the president of Drexel’s chapter of the National Organization for Business and Engineering (NOBE), a national society uniting business, management and engineering organizations from universities across the country.
Like many students, Brandon was drawn to Drexel University because of its co-op opportunity and urban location. Gaining valuable work experience in college was very important to him when deciding where to spend the next four (now five) years of his life. He was also attracted to Drexel’s offering of the combined business and engineering major since he was interested in both the technical and analytical skills that are included in the curriculum. Lastly, he was also excited about living in Philadelphia, calling it “a great city to live in.”
When he’s not attending to his packed school schedule, he’s managing Drexel’s NOBE chapter. His responsibilities revolve around, “producing and refining leadership internally and developing professional skills in our members,” he said. He has been a part of NOBE since freshman year, which gave him the opportunity to witness first-hand what worked and what didn’t work for the organization. Gathering experiences throughout his time with the organization has prepared him to take on the role of president. In his words, “The president needs to act both as a leader and team member to help facilitate the problems that arise and help solve them as a team.” Besides being a leader, Brandon must also excel at management and communication, which ensures all positions in the club are doing their part, so everything runs smoothly.
Being president also comes with some exciting opportunities to make an impact on campus. Brandon credits the commitment of the members for the immense growth and the number of events they put on each quarter. The members also take on leadership roles themselves which bodes well for the future of the organization. He has also formed valuable friendships and enhanced skills, both social and professional.
NOBE has opened doors that Brandon might not have otherwise found, including leadership development as well as opportunities to interact with professionals in the business and engineering field. He has gained confidence in his leadership skills, taking the initiative when he’s faced with challenges as well as collaborating with various groups to create successful events.
As for his post-college plans, Brandon wants to lead his own team one day and knows he will continue to develop more skills by taking on leadership positions whenever possible in his field. He can take what he learned from NOBE, such as his financial skills over into his career after managing the organization’s budget. By combining the business and engineering in the field, Brandon brings a unique skill set to the working world that will make him a successful manager no matter what industry he enters.