THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
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In April 1999, then-teenager Brandon Brown and his mother set off on an early evening stroll in Aldrich Park on the UCI campus. As dusk settled in, Brown and his mother became lost among the weaving pathways and eucalyptus trees. So they, as Brown reminisces, “knocked on a window that happened to have a light on.”
The office with the light belonged to Kika Friend, then-director of UCI’s California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) program. Friend welcomed the pair inside, and when they left later that evening, Brown knew he wanted to attend UCI. “Kika assured us that she, and CAMP, would be there for me during my entire UCI career, and would provide advising, mentoring, guidance, and personal support.” Brown found the initial foray into college challenging. In his first quarter, he was placed on academic probation. His CAMP peer mentors intervened and provided tutoring, training in study and time management skills, and counseling. |
Brandon Brown, CAMP alumnus and current associate professor, UC Riverside
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CAMP provides minoritized students with information, resources, and opportunities to increase their science identity, build community, and help them realize, and maximize, their full potential in STEM. Read more about CAMP in a previous CFEP: 25 Years of Impact story, here.
Brown subsequently earned an M.P.H in Epidemiology at UCLA and a Ph.D. in International Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed postdoctoral work in global health at UCLA.
“I really credit CAMP with making a difference for me; I’m not sure I would have completed my bachelor’s degree if I had been in a different situation at a different campus, without the incredible support CAMP provided.”
Brown subsequently earned an M.P.H in Epidemiology at UCLA and a Ph.D. in International Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed postdoctoral work in global health at UCLA.
“I really credit CAMP with making a difference for me; I’m not sure I would have completed my bachelor’s degree if I had been in a different situation at a different campus, without the incredible support CAMP provided.”
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Students, especially minority students, are particularly well-served by a program like CAMP, where they can be mentored by faculty who may look like them and probably experienced and persevered through similar hardships. You add in the opportunities for research, tutoring, counseling, professional development, and networking, and it’s a life-changing experience.
CAMP Leader, UC Riverside |
By his sophomore year, Brown’s probation was well in the past. With guidance from CAMP, he augmented his studies with summer science research internships at Cornell University and the University of New Mexico, and attended summer research programs at universities in Singapore and South Africa, as well as the National Cancer Institute. These research experiences helped him identify his career interest and degree program: public health.
From 2011-15, Brown served as faculty in Public Health at UCI and as a faculty mentor for CAMP. In 2015, Brown transitioned to the UC Riverside School of Medicine, where he currently teaches public health and medical ethics, conducts community-based participatory research on HIV and aging, and mentors underrepresented students. He also leads the CAMP program at Riverside. In summer 2021, the National Academy of Medicine named Brown an Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Scholar, one of 10 nationwide to receive the honor. |
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In September 2019, Brown and his mother established a scholarship for the UCI CAMP program “in appreciation of the program that gave me so much.” The competitive Cynthia Brown STEM Scholarship provides juniors and seniors from underrepresented minority populations with additional resources to help them thrive in their degree programs.
“Students, especially minority students, are particularly well-served by a program like CAMP, where they can be mentored by faculty who may look like them and probably experienced and persevered through similar hardships,” Brown said. “You add in the opportunities for research, tutoring, counseling, professional development, and networking, and it’s a life-changing experience.” |
Left to right: Brandon's mother Cynthia Brown, Brandon Brown,
Kika Friend, and Brandon's wife Alejandra Cabral |
The preceding story is part of the "CFEP: 25 Years of Impact" series, honoring the people, programs and partnerships that have helped impact millions of students, teachers and families over the past quarter century. View the entire series here.
