The College of Education and Communications’ Impact Award for the Student Affairs in Higher Education Department was awarded to Brandon Sousa ’17. The Impact Award honors alumni from each department in the college for achievement in their respective fields and the contributions they make to their communities.
Brandon Sousa is a 2017 graduate of the Student Affairs in Higher Education Program. He currently serves as a career coach and instructor in the Center for Career and Experiential Education at the University of Rhode Island, which is also where he earned his bachelor’s degree. During his time in SAHE, Brandon was a graduate assistant in the Academic Success Center at the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown, and he completed a practicum experience and served as a mock interviewer in the Career and Professional Development Center at IUP. He also completed a summer practicum in Orientation at Bethune-Cookman University—an HBCU in Florida.
Since graduating, Brandon has continued to have an impact on the SAHE program, at the University of Rhode Island, and on the field. He developed the SAHE Alumni Connect Mentor Program that matches current SAHE students to SAHE alumni, which continues to this day. He presented at the 2018 EACE Conference (Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers) with fellow IUP SAHE alumnus Zac Saeva on "Promoting Purpose and Passion in the Profession." He also continues to pursue his own professional development by becoming a certified Gallup Clifton strengths coach in 2019 and integrating this approach into the development and creation of his own career/development course at the University of Rhode Island.
Brandon was on campus on April 12, 2023, to receive his award and to engage with SAHE students in several classes.