A Presidential Experience
Washington D.C. was never on Houston Baptist University junior Bryan Brody’s mind. He was just a kid from Texas through and through, having grown up in Dallas.
But when the business management major attended a speech given by former presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, a spark of interest started growing in Brody. An extensive and grueling application process followed, all to gain a coveted spot in the Washington D.C. internship program.
When the results finally came back, Brody had finished on top: out of 125 applicants, he was one of the chosen six. A grand new experience in the nation’s capital was just around the corner.
Brody was placed with Congressman Pete Olson, representing the 22nd district of Texas. It could have been easy for Brody to become the coffee delivery boy or everyone’s favorite printer mechanic, but that was not the case in Olson’s office.
“A lot of offices’ interns are the people that go get the coffee or do the grunt work,” said Brody, “but honestly in Congressman Olson’s office, each and every member of his staff, including the congressman himself, made me really feel like I was making a difference in the office and in the lives of people living in the 22nd district of Texas.”
In an office where interns were an integral part of daily operations, Brody found himself thrown right into the fire. He was tasked with everything from drafting constituent correspondence to attending briefings.
The crowning achievement of the internship, though, came when he was one of the few in the office focused on aiding in the relief efforts in Houston after major flooding. Brody was charged with communicating with organizations, such as the Red Cross, to create help for those in need following the tragedy.
Through the internship, Brody was able to take many lessons home with him to Texas, but none more important than the power of tuning in.
“I saw so much when I was there, obviously the natural Republican/Democrat differences, but people unwilling to listen to the other side, hear what the other side has to say, and really working to make a good difference,” said Brody. “I think the most important thing I would take away is that fact of getting back to the roots of working together as a group to try to make a difference.”
So when the time came to choose the first High Alpha of the new Lambda Chi colony on Houston Baptist’s campus, all signs pointed to Brody.
At first, Brody was hesitant. After all, he is captain of the soccer team, involved heavily in student government, while also trying to stay on top of his classes. But after seeing what he was capable of with his experience in D.C., Brody was sure he had what it took to lead the men of this budding chapter.
“With this well-established fraternity coming to a school that’s so on the rise, I think that it’s important that we get the right leaders in place and the right people,” said Brody, “not just myself, but the people around me that are going to be working with me to make a difference on campus and in the community and in Houston.”
Brody formally accepted the offer of High Alpha on Feb. 22 and among other goals he has for the new men of the Houston Baptist colony, one is simple: rise to be the best group on campus.
“I really want to make an organization that has a lasting impact that I can hopefully lay the groundwork for, something going forward that is bigger than myself, bigger than any single person of HBU [Houston Baptist University] and really become a prominent organization on campus that people see as the elite guys,” said Brody.
Although it will be a long road ahead for Brody and his brothers, he is confident that the experience gained in D.C., along with a resilient work ethic, will propel the colony to the top.
“We are very fortunate to have Bryan as our first High Alpha here at HBU,” said Dylan Bateman, Educational Leadership Consultant. “He is forward-thinking, very well-spoken, and a great leader. We have no doubts that Bryan will represent Lambda Chi Alpha in a positive way.”
