Starting a New Business with Brandon

Transcript

Okay, let’s check out Brandon’s story. Hailing from Washington, Illinois, this BU alum graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and a startup company before he left campus. Bradley prepares students for every aspect of post-collegiate living from personal development to professional excellence. At a 93% career placement rate, BU students emerge ready to change the world. Tell us more, Brandon.

– Hi Alex, I chose Bradley University because my father went here and everyone else that I knew here was happy with their quality of education and most importantly, the career that they had after graduating from this institution. At Bradley, I’ve been able to do everything from help pitch in to build a formula car to playing intramural basketball where we won three championships in a row and had some unforgettable rivalries. The mechanical engineering program at Bradley challenged me both inside the classroom and out. On campus, you have access to a variety of innovation hubs, including Peoria Next. Our required work experiences pushed me to an internship early on that helped me build confidence and acquire skills that ultimately led to me securing a job before the beginning of my senior year. I also teamed up with a few of my friends to form a startup called ShotHawk, an active shooter response system to prevent mass shootings. We started in a few pitch competitions on campus to sell our idea. After getting some traction in these pitch events, we were accepted into several other programs as well as launching a pilot program. Also, we’re in the final stages of applying for our full patent after getting the patent provisional as Bradley University students. To help us get this far, we had some incredible support. In the classroom, we learned engineering concepts, which we were able to deploy outside the classroom thanks to convergence events such as those hosted by the Turner School of Entrepreneurship. With all the experiences I’ve had at Bradley University, it helped me get a job offer before the beginning of my senior year and start my own startup company with my friends and now that I have graduated and have a job and career that I’m happy with, what else can I say other than back to you, Alex.

– Brandon, thank you for shedding some light on the entrepreneurial opportunities available to students across disciplines with professors and peers cheering you on and your access to the Big Idea Competition and the Social Impact Challenge, it’s easy to see why BU students are personally and professionally confident and successful. Thanks again, Brandon.