“Chattanooga State teachers helped me reach my goal by pushing me and helping me learn everything they had to offer,” states Brandon Havis, but even the most focused young man sometimes hits a snag. His ability to overcome obstacles says a lot about character. “I bombed out one semester, but I knew I wanted to finish school and I was willing to do anything needed to get back on track,” shares Brandon. “Lots of people were pulling for me such as Stephanie Hollis in Career Services and former department head Janet Pickard. I had to refocus and take summer classes but I did it!” he adds. As a 2013 graduate of Information Systems Technology with a concentration in Web Programming, Brandon says, “I love learning something new and technology always changes.”

Brandon is continuing his education through Western Governor’s University for a degree in Computer Programming, Systems Software. In the meantime, he works two part-time jobs. As a Revenue Auditor Supervisor at UPS, the company helps pay for his schooling. Brandon is an intern at TVA in the health and safety division, but also has worked in the Nuclear Operations Group and Nuclear Engineers Group. He was challenged almost immediately upon hire to offer training to other personnel on SharePoint with little prior knowledge of the software. Rising to the occasion, he did the research and presented a successful training, thanks in part, to the education he received at Chattanooga State.