Brooks F.
2010 Business Administration Graduate, Veteran Student
“My parents had done some research for me while I was overseas, and they knew that Bay State was the right fit,” says Brooks. “I had been out of school for 5 years at this point, so I knew I needed a college that would provide support and where I could build a relationship with professors.”
Having served in the U.S. Army from 2004-2008, Brooks Foley returned from overseas ready to earn a degree and begin his career. Bay State College’s small class sizes, convenient Boston location, and veteran benefits made his decision simple.
“My parents had done some research for me while I was overseas, and they knew that Bay State was the right fit,” says Brooks. “I had been out of school for 5 years at this point, so I knew I needed a college that would provide support and where I could build a relationship with professors.”
Not only did Brooks achieve academic success at Bay State, but he remained involved in several different clubs and activities throughout his two years on campus, such as the Student Government Association, DECA and Peer Mentors.
In 2010, Brooks moved on to earn his bachelor’s in Business Management from Suffolk University, with the thought of moving on to law school.
Upon graduating, however, he was presented with an opportunity from EMC in Hopkinton, MA, a leading provider of IT storage hardware solutions, to become an Associate Program Manager and contribute to the development and successful launch of a new cloud storage platform, VMAX Cloud Edition. The position was a bit technical and different from anything Brooks had done in the past, but he took the opportunity as a new challenge.
His success at EMC over the past several years allowed him to take on a new role as Program Manager in 2014, where his focus is less technical and more marketing and sales.
In addition to the work Brooks does at EMC, he also remains connected to his fellow veterans through the Boots to Business program run by the Boston Chamber of Commerce where he is a mentor. “Boots to Business” is the Chamber’s newest initiative, designed to strengthen the connections between Greater Boston’s employers and the many talented veterans located throughout the region. Boots to Business provides opportunities for veteran mentorship, networking, and more.
“Make a list of the career you eventually want and the companies you might want to work for,” Brooks says of his advice to his mentees. “You may not get there right away, but there are definitely steps you can take to get there.”
Brooks is currently enrolled in a high tech MBA program at Northeastern University.