Meet Drew Waldron ’22, from Wallingford, CT. “The mantra that my parents have always told me is that if you enjoy what you do, you won't work a day in your life,” says Drew. As the Vice President of Development for Bryant’s Student Programming Board (SPB), he helps to organize events that create community on campus and foster lasting memories. The fun he’s had along the way, he says, is a great bonus.
A Human Resource Management major, Drew says the SPB has helped him hone his talent for managing and working with others. The skills he’s learning, he points out, have almost limitless applications—and are increasingly important in a rapidly evolving world.
“We're definitely seeing that, as the world has gone through all of these changes in the last two years, that HR really is at the core of so much of this,” he says. This semester, Drew is studying Training and Development with Lecturer of Management Valerie Leduc, which is helping him understand how organizations adapt to important situational and cultural shifts and provide people with what they need to thrive.
“One of the things that makes Bryant special is that if you pick an area that you're really interested in and you put in the effort, you can do some pretty big things in that area.”
That’s also an important part of the SPB’s mission, he says. Drew, who plays the trumpet and piano and performs with Bryant’s Jazz Ensemble and his own band, The Last Minute, notes that the organization provides an outlet for Bryant students to relax and have fun together. “As a student-run organization, I think we have a lot of insight into what the student community wants,” he notes. The key, Drew says, is making sure that you have something for everyone. “You have to have diversity in both your speakers and their topics,” he says.
For the last two years, Drew has been in charge of all major SPB events that feature guest speakers and he’s helped the organization put together conversations with everyone from scholars to social justice advocates to athletes. Drew has personally hosted Question and Answer sessions with luminaries like Boston Bruin Zdeno Chara and the actor Creed Bratton from the hit television show The Office—an experience he counts as one of his favorite memories. Moderating these discussions has also helped him cultivate his skills as an interviewer.
Through his work with the Student Programing Board, Drew has discovered a passion for managing events and working with speakers and is planning to pursue a career in talent management after graduation. The experience he’s gained managing budgets, organizing events, working with high-profile guests and leading teams has given him an advantage as he begins his career. “It’s amazing the level of trust Bryant and the University’s Center for Student Leadership and Inclusion has put in me,” he says.
That trust, and the opportunities Bryant provides, he says, helps make his school unique. “One of the things that makes Bryant special is that if you pick an area that you're really interested in and you put in the effort, you can do some pretty big things in that area,” Drew notes.
