When Brandon transferred to A&M-Commerce his sophomore year, he knew pledging his father’s fraternity was more than a choice to join Greek life, it was a life decision to be part of a bigger family; it was a decision to be an Alpaha brother for life. “My fraternity brothers had a positive impact on my time at A&M-Commerce,” Ken said. “They stressed service and discipline as a path to success and provided me with good examples. I was very happy and proud that Brandon chose to pursue the same path I traveled.” Brandon is equally proud of his decision to follow in his father’s footsteps. “Being part of a fraternity was a great experience,” Brandon said. “I was held to the highest standards and had to carry myself in public a certain way. My life in the fraternity prepared me for the real world so that I was prepared to interact with business men and women on a professional basis.” Although Brandon started out as “Little Crutch” on campus, thanks to his striking resemblance of his father, Brandon quickly gained his own identity and charted his own path. He became a student leader, and found opportunities to make a difference. “One of the things I like most about A&M-Commerce is that it’s small enough to get involved from day one,” he said. “Where else can you work directly with the provost and vice president as a student?” Brandon’s outgoing demeanor, knack for talking with people and willingness to volunteer eventually led him to a career of working with students. “I worked in Upward Bound for a year at A&M-Commerce, mentoring and tutoring high school students. It was the first time I was doing a job that was helping others,” he said. “ I knew I wanted to work with college bound students from the first day I met those students.”
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Texas A&M University–Commerce ~ Pride Magazine
The confidence Brandon gained from being involved with the Alphas and working with Upward Bound spurred him to seek a career in higher education, first as an admissions recruiter for A&M-Commerce, and now as transfer enrollment advisor for The University of Texas at Dallas. “Higher education is a fun place to be,” Brandon said. “It’s a way to impact students, and give them a chance to succeed.” A&M-Commerce has also led Ken and Zola into the world of education, with Ken taking on a new role as the director of human resources outreach at Texas A&M University in College Station after seven years at A&M-Commerce. Zola teaches in the Mesquite ISD. For Zola, walking across the stage in 2006 to receive her bachelor’s degree in health education was the realization of a dream that began while working in corporate America. “My former boss encouraged me to start going to college and take night classes, so I enrolled at a junior college in Dallas. From there, I continued to pursue my education at A&M-Commerce. The small town atmosphere was a perfect setting for me as I was able to know my professors in a more personal environment and I enjoyed that.” Ken credits many of his accomplishments to the strong role model his mother provided. “My father passed away when I was young, so my mother played both roles-and she played