May 28, 2002

White Led On and Off the Football Field

Left to right: Stephen C. Price, Lauren N. Collins and Brandon L. White were the three drum majors for the NC State marching band in 2001-02. (photo: Catherine White)

It’s halftime at an NC State football game. Before heading to the concession stand for your popcorn and soda, you take time to enjoy the colorful precision drill of the NC State marching band. Marching in front, head held high, is Brandon L. White, for the past two years head drum major of the marching band.

A native of Greenville and a May graduate with a major in materials science and engineering, White enjoyed his role as leader of the band. In fact the role of leader suits White well across all aspects of his life —in the band, in school and in his profession.

“I was drum major at my high school for three years,” said White. “That helped prepare me for my drum major role at NC State.” Being the NC State marching band’s head drum major has presented not only rich rewards for White, but also its share of challenges. “My freshman year we were playing instruments older than we were,” he said. “All the instruments dated from the 1960s, and our uniforms were old as well.”

White was part of a group of students who raised funds to replace the uniforms and instruments, resulting in improvement of morale and recruiting among students. “It’s very exciting,” he said. “We hope to have all new instruments in place by next fall.”

White worked hard during his time here to improve financial backing for the band. “We want to see the band supported more fully because we represent the university at both home and away games,” he said. “We’re proud of our university. I have so many wonderful memories of conducting 'The Star Spangled Banner' and alma mater before each game. I will never forget the roar of the crowd as the players took the field and we played the fight song! A special memory for me was last fall at the Carolina game — I will never forget the feeling of unity and NC State pride when the UNC marching band joined us on the field at half-time to play God Bless America just after September 11.”

White’s leadership activities spilled over into his academic life at NC State. For the past two years he has been head Student Engineering Leader (SEL). In this position he led the other SEL mentors, who guide undergraduate students, especially freshmen in E 101, Introduction to Engineering and Problem Solving, by bringing an upperclass student perspective into the classroom. “In this way we help students get off to a good start,” he said. “We tell them ‘This is what I should have done my freshman year.’”

	Brandon L. White, May graduate in materials science and engineering, was head drum major for the NC State marching band. (photo: Catherine White)

White’s good start at NC State paid off over the four years he was there. A well-rounded graduate, he won awards for his undergraduate research projects, including one of only three awards given at the undergraduate research symposium last year and the multidisciplinary chemical engineering/materials science senior design project awards this year.

White was also involved in conducting campus tours as a student ambassador, especially during Engineering Open House for prospective students. He was very active in planning and leading the summer programs in the College of Engineering at NC State. In this role he organized programs, hired counselors and coordinated student activities.

“This is a rare opportunity to bring in top-notch high school students, and we try to focus on not just the academic environment, but also the university’s extracurricular life.” White’s management responsibilities in this program didn’t remove him from personal contact with prospective students, however. “It’s really fun spending time with these bright, motivated, intellectual students,” he said. “I find this work very rewarding.”

The university aspect of White’s life ended with his graduation in May. As rewarding as his leadership roles at NC State have been, he’s ready to move on to the next phase of his life: a new job at Northrop Grumman near Baltimore, Maryland. There his leadership skills will help, for he has been selected to participate in Northrop Grumman’s Professional Development Program. “If students have been successful as leaders in school,” he explained, “they are chosen for this special program that makes use of their management potential.” New engineers rotate through departments for the first 18 months of employment, and at the end of that time they are placed permanently in an area of their choice.

White is mainly interested in the manufacturing side of materials engineering. He enjoys troubleshooting and the opportunity to see the whole product. He would like one of his rotations to be in testing. “It’s very interesting work,” he said. “In the defense industry, everything must be very accurate. I enjoy that challenge.”

White has risen to the challenge of leadership, with positive results in all aspects of his life — from the marching band to the engineering summer orientation to his studies — and soon he will take these experiences out into the world of work.

— rudd —

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