Brandon Henry\u00a0
Degree\/Major:\u202fBS, mechanical engineering
College:\u202fCollege of Engineering
Hometown:\u202fQueens, New York\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b
Next stop:\u202fDigital rotational associate; Pfizer, New York City<\/p>\n
Why I chose Temple: \u201cI chose Temple for a few reasons, but the main reason was that a lot of the other schools I looked at didn\u2019t have the flexibility that Temple offered. I actually started as a computer science major my first year, but I realized it wasn\u2019t the best fit for me. I knew I could switch majors at Temple, and that process was seamless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because I\u2019m from New York City, I knew I wanted to stay in a city, but I wanted to get out of my hometown. I wanted to explore a new environment. Philly is close, and it\u2019s also a great city full of rich history, so it made choosing Temple easy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
An opportunity abroad: \u201cI was able to study abroad in Rome<\/a> during my sophomore year. It was interesting in a lot of different ways, but the main thing was experiencing\u202fhow engineering is taught outside the United States. In the U.S., engineering is very problem-based. We do a lot of problem sets to try and solve problems. Whereas when I took engineering courses in Rome, it was a lot more theoretical. We spent a lot of time understanding the logic behind key engineering principles and how you could use those principles to not only solve problems but also to theory-craft solutions to new issues. It was really cool.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Transformative Temple moment: \u201cWhen I first transitioned to engineering, I took the Intro to Engineering course. When I finished my work, I would check on the other students and help them if I could. At the end of the semester, my professor, Cory Budischak<\/a>, asked if I wanted to be a teaching assistant (TA) for the class. Being a TA helped me gain an interest in becoming a leader and helping others, and it led to my current position as a student mentor for freshmen engineering students. \u00a0<\/p>\n