Music, family and religion are the pillars of Brian Nwanze’s foundation.
He found his love for music in 2006 when he joined his elementary school band. At the time, the third grader had no idea that band would lead him to gaining life lessons and to Florida A&M University.
“In high school I was very indecisive and the biggest thing that got me to FAMU was the Marching 100,” the Atlanta native said. “In high school my band director who is a FAMU and Marching 100 alum, brought them to my school. I auditioned for the band, took a tour of the campus and then the rest is history.”
Nwanze was a member of the Marching 100 from fall 2016 to 2018. He played the alto saxophone and served as the band’s chaplain for two years. He attributes being in the band to his perseverance to strive when things get tough.
“Being in the band was my foundation for knowing how to persevere in certain situations when it gets tough,” Nwanze said. “They have showed me that I need to keep pushing when things become too much.”
Nwanze explained how this came in handy during his junior year when he was taking 18 credit hours, marching in the band and joining Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity.
Family is also a huge part of who Nwanze is. He gives his mother, Janice Whatley, the majority of the credit for his success in life.
“My mom has given so much for me,” said Nwanze. “I don’t understand how someone can be so selfless and come May 1 when I graduate, everything I have done and accomplished is for her.”
Nwanze will be graduating with a bachelor of science in health care management. Most college students’ end goal is to have a job offer after graduation, Nwanze has meet and exceeded that goal.
He has a full-time job offer with a major tech company, Box in Austin, Texas as a sales development representative upon graduation.
Box is a Fortune 100 company that specializes in cloud content managing and file sharing for businesses.
Even though Nwanze’s major on his degree does not correlate with the tech industry, he proved his worthiness and capability of working for the company with his love, determination and knowledge of learning the way technology companies are run.
Nwanze’s close friends and peers speak highly of his drive and need for success.
“Brian is a person who is grounded yet continuously striving for all that live has to offer,” Emmanuel Blake said.
Blake has known Nwanze for the past two years after meeting on FAMU’s campus. “The sky is the limit for my brother,” he added.
Quiana Haynes, who is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi with Nwanze, praised his ability for putting himself in great positions and his determination.
“Brian is always hungry, looking for opportunities and he doesn’t stop or give up until it’s done. He’s always one step ahead of himself and it shows in his experiences, involvement and job offers,” said Haynes.
Along with music and family, Nwanze said his strong belief and connection with his religion has played a key role.
“I am a huge religious person,” said Nwanze. “Wherever god leads me is where I’ll go. If you just let god take the wheel and let him do it, you’ll be just fine.”
Nwanze is still active in Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity and wrapping up his last fall semester at FAMU.
“I am thankful for FAMU, the good, the bad, the ugly,” Nwanze said. “They have given me huge life lessons year after year, I’ve learned and met so many people that were life changing.”