As a high school student in Cedarburg, Brandon Klas got hooked on business and leadership. Brandon is among the Council’s 2021 scholarship recipients, and is continuing his Business Entrepreneurship education as a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Council recently had a conversation with Brandon about his education and future.
Council: Classes returned in person at UW-Whitewater this semester. How is that going?
Brandon: I still have one online class. But yes, we are officially back in person and being back is good. You have to wear masks, but that’s life. I have five classes, which is considered full time, and everything is going pretty well. Business Finance is a bit of a struggle and I work harder at that class, but I’ve always had to put more into math-related classes, so that’s not new.
Council: What do you think you’re learning about life as your college education continues?
Brandon: This year and last year helped me to learn the importance of being able to adapt and deal with changes. You have to go with whatever’s happening and not allow it to control what you’re doing.
Council: What are your future plans?
Brandon: My interest in business goes back to high school, when I started taking business classes. I noticed that there were so many varied areas you could go into in business. At some point, I’d like to own my own business, but will probably start working with another company to get some experience.
Right now, I’m going through the application process to get an internship for this coming summer. I’m mainly looking into a management internship to get some real-world business experience.
Council: What are you most proud of accomplishing so far?
Brandon: It’s definitely earning my Eagle in Boy Scouts. I spent a lot of years in Scouts working toward it with all of the badges, leadership positions and projects leading up to becoming an Eagle. Becoming an Eagle Scout is an honor because not everyone in Scouts can do it. I’m one of the few people that managed to earn it.
