ME Alumnus Ready for the Future

• bryan henderson

Bryan Henderson & Family

Recent ME graduate Bryan Henderson, class of ’09, is excited for the next stage of his academic career. This fall Henderson will become a Trojan at the University of Southern California (USC) to receive a master’s degree in Product Development Engineering, which is a branch of Industrial Engineering. Initially determined to get an engineering management degree, the equivalent of an MBA, Henderson decided to start with a technical masters degree first.

“I've always pushed to be well rounded to give myself the best possible edge in the technology industry,” mentions Henderson, “So I picked industrial engineering since it was more focused on industry and a more practical application of engineering and business principles.”

For graduate school Henderson says he decided to move away from his native Fort Washington, Maryland because, “You grow and learn so much, when you’re in new environments. I wanted that opportunity.” For future UMD undergraduates, Henderson advises, “move away from where you’re comfortable and [let] the magic happen.”

Henderson believes that UMD has fully prepared him for his future endeavors. All through his semesters at the university, Henderson says he learned how to think critically about what you're hearing, and to internalize that information. “That’s the key for better navigation through life,” he reveals.

Henderson also states that his involvement with UMD clubs and organizations prepared him for the future by allowing him to network and make connections early in his college career. In turn, he remarks, “this helped me navigate my professional career and even helped me learn to network more effectively. Fundamentally, leveraging the life lessons, career paths, motivation and history of the people in my network just makes sense to me. It's natural to me now, there's always an opportunity to learn from someone else.”

Recalling his collegiate experience, Henderson urges ME undergraduates to, “network, network, network, get organized, make a plan, work your plan and keep coming back to it to measure yourself.” He adds, “Always be respectful to others. It will go a long way.”

Prior to beginning graduate school this fall, Henderson is spending his summer in Fort Collins, Colorado interning at Hewlett-Packard (HP) as an Operations Manager for Aftermarket Accessories. “I'm really looking forwarding to adding value to my team, learning a lot, meeting new people and having some fun in this new place,” notes Henderson. “This is definitely my dream job right now.”

Looking towards the future, Henderson is hopeful that professionally he will become a program manager. He also plans on continuing his work in promoting and supporting diversity with the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education coalition, an association that works to support math and sciences throughout the nation.

For any students that need advice or have any questions, Henderson says he would be thrilled to receive emails at Bhen@umd.edu.

--Lauren Frye, '10, ME Student Reporter

Published August 3, 2009