|
Branden Wells
Branden F. Wells was nominated by Mary Pat Barth, University College Academic Advisor, who said, “Branden is such a breath of fresh air to our class, serves as a positive role model to our male students and others in a quiet and special way. During one of our classes, the topic was critical thinking and on the spot, Branden initiated an oral presentation about critical thinking. He focused on an experience he had in Afghanistan with the US media and how their views about the good that the military had done in that country was not even mentioned. Branden encouraged students to expand their minds, read and listen to diverse reports about significant news items before forming their own opinions.”
Branden is a 22 year old freshman majoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice. He is a member of Delta Sigma Phi, serves on the Student Council for Exceptional Children, and is a member of the Student Veterans Organization of UNCW.
Branden served in the Marine Corps for four years before coming to college. He has served our country most recently in Afghanistan and likes to talk about the positive aspects of America’s presence there.
One of the challenges that Branden has faced has been re-entering the University after having, in his own words, been a “misguided high school student.” He credits the Admissions Office for giving him an opportunity to prove himself and the University College for working tirelessly to answer questions and provide the support he needed.
”If I had an issue, I could just walk into the University College and hope my advisor would be available. Not only did I get a donut while I was waiting, but I got a chance to talk to my advisor and the situation was ironed out.”
When asked about his greatest achievement, Branden cites an experience that he had in Afghanistan: “While I was in the Marine Corps, I had the chance to improve the life of a small Afghani child who had been without the luxury of running water for the entire 6 years he had been on this earth. My unit was tasked with providing security to the contractors actually drilling the well. There were Taliban in all of the surrounding areas who would have loved to disrupt this operation. By providing the village with water, the Taliban lost some of their influence. Once my unit had the pump running from the well, this little child’s eyes were like saucers. He couldn’t communicate his gratitude in English but his excitement was to me a universal language, and I was speechless.”
Branden would like to thank Dianne Jones (Academic Advisor in the University College) for “her enthusiasm and flexibility. She always knew what to do and who to call.”
Branden’s advice for other non-trads is “Don’t be afraid to share your stories. Those students who are younger and less experienced will look up to you. You just need to give them something to look up to.”
After graduation, Branden hopes to “be a Criminal Profiler, and assist in putting those that commit crimes where they belong.”
|
