Staff Spotlight: Brandon Locke

Brandon is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from Robert Morris University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. His first study abroad experience was a university-sponsored nursing trip to Managua, Nicaragua to provide healthcare to underprivileged communities. Brandon has been working with Forum-Nexus for 3 years as an Admissions Advisor, helping students from all over the U.S. to explore options for their very first experience abroad.

My favorite travel memory is seeing the Eiffel Tower for the very first time. In high school, when we had to choose which language that we wanted to study, I chose French because I wanted to be able to go on the class trip to Paris.

Unfortunately, I was not able to join the trip, but I was able to see the Eiffel Tower on my first trip with Forum-Nexus during our stop in Paris. I think being able to experience it as a young adult was much more meaningful, and I’m reminded of this memory each time I’m in Paris with FN students who are experiencing it for the first time!

Being on the Forum-Nexus team has really taught me how to work efficiently in an always changing environment, as our program travels to several different cities and countries in one summer. I have also learned how to communicate through different language barriers and better understand and appreciate people from different cultures. I have been able to take these experiences and transfer them to my daily life.

It is often difficult for pre-med and nursing students to find study abroad opportunities, but we offer several independent study courses related to healthcare and I think that makes us unique. One of our pre-med students from last year shared that he has had multiple interviews for medical school, and in each one of the interviews, he was asked to elaborate on his time and experience with Forum-Nexus. It is amazing to hear that students can use what they learn abroad with us to help stand out to potential employers.

Our summer program in Asia is my favorite program that we offer. We visit so many unique and wonderful places in a short amount of time. Each place is different and amazing in its own way, and it’s a perfect opportunity to dive in to the culture and lifestyles of the locals. I also love that, in all of our programs, we offer the opportunity for students to travel independently on the weekends, and there are so many amazing destinations within a short train or plane ride.

We are a traveling program that visits multiple cities in multiple countries all in one summer. We live and learn immersed in the culture alongside the local population and we are really able to get a sense of how they live each day. I am especially proud of our team each summer when everything that we have worked for all year long comes together seamlessly. Our team is dedicated to Forum-Nexus and takes pride in the work that we accomplish every day.

I believe that the biggest factor in being a successful company is believing in your product and being passionate about your work. We strive to provide a first-class experience for all of our students and each team member believes that what do every day is amazing. We are here because we all have been a student at one time or another, and first-hand have seen how life-changing Forum-Nexus can be.