The following crimes occurred on or near campus and were reported to The Triangle by the Drexel University Department of Public Safety between April 20 and May 3. All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement or DPS incident reports.

SEX OFFENSE (1)

April 24, 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. Off-campus location

A Drexel student reported that she was sexually assaulted by an unknown male who she met at a concert.

ASSAULT (1)

May 2, 2:10 a.m. North 35th Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that he was assaulted by an unknown male while walking around the block. He also suffered a minor injury.

THEFT (5)

April 20 to April 28, 3500 Powelton Ave.

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took her bicycle that was secured to her porch railing with a cable lock.

April 25 to April 27, 500 N. 32nd St.

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) removed his registration plate from his vehicle.

April 30, 6:10 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. 3100 Market St.

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took her wallet from her bag that was left unattended in a common area.

May 2 to May 3, 3300 Powelton Ave.

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took his bicycle that was left unsecured in the hallway of his building.

May 3, 2:00 p.m. to 3:23 p.m. 3200 Powelton Ave.

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took his cell phone that was left unattended in a common area.

VANDALISM (1)

May 1, 3500 Market St.

A Drexel employee reported that he discovered that unknown person(s) wrote graffiti on a wall of a Drexel building.

POLICY VIOLATIONS (6)

During the period covered in this report, there were three policy violations for drugs and three policy violations for alcohol. The reports were sent to the Office of Student Conduct for review.

The post Crime and Policy Violations April 20 to May 3 appeared first on The Triangle.

The following crimes occurred on or near campus and were reported to The Triangle by the Drexel University Department of Public Safety between April 7 and April 19. All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement or DPS incident reports.

ROBBERY (1)

April 15, 12:50p.m 3100 Market Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown male knocked him from his bike and attempted to take the bike. The student held on to the bike and the male fled east on Market Street.

SEX OFFENSE(1)

April 13, Off Campus Location

A female Drexel student reported that while at an off campus location she was touched inappropriately by a male residing at that location.

THEFT (7)

April 7, 3200 Chestnut Street

A Drexel student reported that unknown person(s) made several unauthorized purchases at unknown location using the complainant’s credit card information.

April 13 to April 14, 3400 Baring Street

A Drexel student reported that unknown person/s made cash withdrawal from her account at a location in New York City.

April 13 to April 14, 3500 Powelton Avenue

A Drexel student reported that unknown person(s) made unauthorized purchases at unknown locations using the complainant’s credit card information.

April 14, 2:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. 3100 Market Street

A Drexel student reported that unknown person(s) took her bicycle that was secured to a bike rack with a U lock.

April 15, 3400 Chestnut Street

A Non Drexel affiliate reported that two juvenile males entered his store, took merchandise, and fled the store without paying for the items.

April 16, 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 3300 Market Street

A Drexel student reported that unknown person(s) took her iPhone that was left unattended on a desk in a common area.

April 17 to April 20 3100 Ludlow Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that unknown person(s) entered his lunch truck, no sign of force and took cash from the cash register.

VANDALISM (3)

April 17 to April 18 400 N. 31^st Street

A Non Drexel affiliate reported that unknown person(s) spray painted graffiti on an exterior wall of his property.

April 19, 200 N. 34^th Street

A Drexel student reported that unknown person(s) ripped two exit signs out of the ceiling on the 4^th floor of a Drexel property.

During the period covered in this report, there were two (2) policy violations for alcohol and one (1) policy violation for drugs. The report was sent to the office of Student Conduct for review.

The post Crime and Policy Violations April 13 to April 19, 2015 appeared first on The Triangle.

The following crimes occurred on or near campus and were reported to The Triangle by the Drexel University Department of Public Safety between March 16 and March 31. All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement or DPS incident reports.

ASSAULT (1)

March 29, 3:35 a.m. 3300 Market Street

A Drexel student reported that she was assaulted by another student known to her with a minor injury complaint.

THEFT (4)

March 16, 3200 Chestnut Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) used her credit card to make an unauthorized purchase.

March 18 to March 25, 3200 Chestnut Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) used her credit card to make two unauthorized purchases.

March 20 to March 23, 200 N. 34th Street

A Drexel affiliate reported that an unknown person(s) took a chair from a common area of the building.

March 31, 3:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. 3200 Chestnut Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown male took his bag containing personal items when it was left unattended in a classroom.

The post Crime and Policy Violations Mar. 16 to Mar. 31 appeared first on The Triangle.

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Pepper

Michael Dodds is a 23-year-old graduate student in Drexel’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems from Leola, Pennsylvania. Dodds won the $100,000 grand prize in the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway during halftime at the 2014 College Bowl.

The Triangle: First of all, can you give us some background on yourself? What do you do when you aren’t on national TV?

Michael Dodds: Without getting into too much detail, I was born in West Chester and my family moved to Lancaster when I was very young. Ever since elementary school I’ve been very involved with sports (particularly wrestling and football) and somewhat involved with the arts (e.g. chorus, guitar and theatre). After high school, I attended Penn State to earn my degree in biology (vertebrate physiology) with the original intention of attending medical school. Early in my junior year, after a lot of deliberation and reflection, I decided I wanted to pursue the more quantitative and creative aspects of medicine. So, I shifted my focus to biomedical engineering and applied to Drexel’s graduate program in fall of 2013. Because my undergraduate degree is non-engineering, I’ve been taking a few fundamental engineering classes to bring myself up to speed. Outside of studying biomedical engineering at Drexel, I have a somewhat eclectic pool of hobbies. My older brother and I like to bond over activities like snowboarding, jujitsu, video games, whitewater rafting and mud-running. We also occasionally like to partake in extremely spicy food challenges with a friend of ours from high school. My crowning achievement (so far) is eating an entire Carolina Reaper (the world’s hottest pepper) without having to drink any milk, water, etc. On a personal level, I’ve been playing guitar for about eight years and I’m currently pursuing independent video game development for enrichment and also to reinforce useful programming syntax.

TT: How did you get involved with this opportunity?

MD: It’s kind of interesting actually. A very good friend of mine from high school wrestling won the halftime competition last year and it sparked my interest. After briefly sharing my career goals on the tuition giveaway website, I was given the option of submitting a video for the competition. Then one day in early November, I got a call from Dr. Pepper saying they liked my video and were going to bring me and one guest to the ACC Championship Game to potentially compete during halftime for $100,000. I just think it’s really neat and remarkable that two people from the same high school and same wrestling team were both selected for such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

TT: What was it like to be on national TV?

MD: The best words to describe it are “surreal” and “numbing.” My head was just a jumble of thoughts ranging from “I wonder who’s watching right now” to “what will the implications be if I win,” so I almost couldn’t even comprehend the fact that I was on national TV.

TT: How did you feel when you realized you won?

MD: An unbelievable sense of gratitude and happiness. Obviously, at face value, I was happy to win $100,000 towards my tuition, but what really overwhelmed me with gratitude were the implications of the tuition prize. My parents were never really given the chance to earn degrees, yet they worked tirelessly to help me and my two siblings through college. Everything I do in school and the rest of my life is motivated by the thought of making my parents proud and showing them that their hard work was worth it. When I won the tuition prize, I knew I could go full steam ahead with nothing financially holding me back and earn my master’s.

TT: What was it like to hold a giant check? Did you get to live out a childhood dream?

MD: With my hands shaking the way they were, I was just glad I didn’t accidentally drop the check. Holding the check was an affirmation of winning the $100,000 prize, so naturally it made me feel a little giddy. And I did get to live out a childhood dream, but it didn’t involve holding the big check. Ever since I started playing football, I’ve always jokingly wanted to make it into a Sports Center highlight, Top 10, etc. Even though I didn’t get to see it, a friend of mine told me that the halftime competition was on Sports Center’s Top 10 the night of the ACC Championship game.

TT: When you woke up the morning that you were on TV, what was going through your head?

MD: I just approached the halftime competition like a wrestling match or a football game. Early in the day, I didn’t even think much about the competition and just tried to enjoy being in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a little funny, because I didn’t start really focusing until the pre-game party outside of the stadium, which was supposed to be one of the big attractions of the weekend. So rather than take everything in, I was in my own little world for the most part.

TT: How do you feel now that you have the money? Do you feel any different?

MD: I feel a lot more relaxed and focused. Before I won the tuition prize, I knew I was taking on a heavy financial burden by attending graduate school. And to be honest, I considered sticking it out with just my undergraduate and gradually moving my way into the engineering field throughout my career. Eventually I decided to bite the financial bullet and go directly to graduate school. Naturally, the tuition prize money makes the path I’ve chosen a lot easier.

TT: Why did you choose to go to Drexel for grad school?

MD: In addition to Drexel being a top-ranked school for biomedical engineering, it’s also one of the few schools I know of that has a good system for integrating students without an engineering background into the biomedical engineering graduate program. Also, because I live so close to the train station in Lancaster, I can save a lot on living expenses by living at home and taking the train into Philly whenever I have class.

The post Triangle Talks with Michael Dodds appeared first on The Triangle.

Photo Courtesy: Drexel American Red Cross Club

Oresta Borodevyc is a pre-junior majoring in biological sciences and minoring psychology and is the president of the American Red Cross Club at Drexel University.

TT: Can you give me a general overview of what you guys do, how big you are and just some background information about it?

OB: Sure. Our group started maybe about four or five years ago and we’ve increased our membership ever since then. Everyone who essentially joins either has been in a Red Cross Club in high school or has heard of the Red Cross and are willing to help. Mainly, what we do is partner with the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter here in Philadelphia on 23rd and Chestnut [streets] and they help us run blood drives.

We also help them with something called the Red Cross House over on 40th and Powelton, where you serve meals to those who have lost their house because of a fire or something like that. They seek shelter at this Red Cross House — so we go there and volunteer and help serve meals. The other thing that they do is once the fire occurs, they help hand out fire safety bags and we occasionally help with that. It’s just going around the city and hanging informational flyers on the doors of the homes.

TT: So what is the coolest experience that you’ve been a part of because of this organization?

OB: I would say meeting a bunch of people with different backgrounds. Because of that, our organization has grown stronger and we cater to the ideas of the students. So a lot of the events that we do throw are because of students who are really dedicated to the club.

TT: Can you give me some specific examples?

OB: Sure. So last year we had a fundraiser where — I can’t remember who it was, but we had a fundraiser where we partnered with another student organization here at Drexel and we helped raise money. Things like that.

TT: What has been the most unique experience that you’ve had?

OB: When we had the blood drive recently, it was held in all different places around campus; and I got to persuade people to donate which was really interesting because, you know, they see you coming and they’re just trying to avoid you at all costs and then you have to give them reasons like, “Oh you save three lives if you donate,” and try to get them to be less afraid of the process.

TT: How well did that work?

OB: It worked pretty well. I still think we were under our goal, but it was pretty good for a day where students have midterms and stuffs like that.

TT: If the Red Cross Club was a kitchen appliance, what would it be and why?

OB: A spoon, because we’re needed in everyday life and we help scoop in the inner volunteer.

TT: What is your favorite type of dinosaurs?

OB: I would say one of the — I don’t know what they’re called — but the bird type, not the land-walking dinosaurs.

TT: Like a pterodactyl?

OB: Yeah!

TT: Do you have a rough estimate of how many people per year you impact? Is that something you guys know at all?

OB: No, we didn’t really think about that and I’m not sure how to accurately count that. But in terms of retention in the club, I would say a good 50 percent return, but because of incoming students, we get an overload, and those are the most dedicated: we get about 50 per year. It’s a pretty good cohort.

The post Triangle Talks with Oresta Borodevyc appeared first on The Triangle.

The following crimes occurred on or near campus and were reported to The Triangle by the Drexel University Department of Public Safety between Nov. 21 and Dec. 5. All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement or DPS incident reports.

ASSAULT (1)

Nov 28, 3300 block of Market Street

Drexel Police arrested a former Drexel student for assaulting a Drexel staff member Nov. 24.

THEFT (8)

Nov. 21 to Nov 24, 3100 block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took her bike that was secured to a bike rack with a U-Lock.

Nov. 24, 10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. 3100 block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took his backpack that contained a laptop computer and passport, which was left unattended in a common area.

Nov. 24, 5:45 p.m. 3400 block of Chestnut Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that an unknown male entered her store, took a jacket from the rack and fled without paying for the jacket.

Nov. 25, 9:50 a.m. 200 block of North 34th Street

Drexel police arrested a non-Drexel affiliate after he entered the complainant’s car, with no sign of force and visible personal items were stolen.

Nov. 25, 9:50 a.m. 3600 block of Hamilton Street

Drexel Police arrested a non-Drexel affiliate after he entered the complainant’s car. There was no sign of force and personal items that were left unsecured were stolen.

Nov. 26 to Nov. 28, North 32nd Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that an unknown person(s) entered a gated construction site with no sign of force and removed electronic equipment.

Nov. 28, 12 a.m. to 7 a.m. North 32nd Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that an unknown person(s) entered his lunch truck by breaking a window and took cash and candy.

Dec. 1, 2:50 a.m. South 33rd Street

Drexel Police arrested a non-Drexel affiliate after he entered the complainant’s lunch truck by breaking a window and was observed by police removing items.

VANDALISM (1)

Nov. 26 to Nov. 27, 3300 block of Market Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that the window to his truck was broken in an unknown manner.

POLICY VIOLATIONS (3)

During the period covered in this report, there were two policy violations for alcohol and one policy violation for drugs. The reports were sent to the Office of Student Conduct for review.

The post Crime and Policy Violations for Nov. 24 to Dec. 1 appeared first on The Triangle.

The following are crimes that occurred on or near campus and were reported to The Triangle by the Drexel university Department of Public Safety between Sept. 24, 2014 and Sept. 30, 2014.  All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement or DPS incident reports.

ASSAULT (2)

Sept. 24, 9 a.m. 3600 block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that she was shoved off her bike and knocked onto the street by an unknown female during a verbal dispute. She received only minor injuries.

Sept. 26, 2:44 a.m. 3100 block of Baring Street

A Drexel student was arrested by Drexel Police after he assaulted a person not affiliated with Drexel.

SEXUAL ASSAULT (1)

Sept. 26, 3300 block of Race Street

A Drexel student reported that in Feb. 2014, she was sexually assaulted by a male Drexel student known to her.

THEFT (10)

Sept 24, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. 3300 block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that her wallet containing both cash and credit cards was stolen from her bag by an unknown person(s).

Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. 3175 block of John F. Kennedy Boulevard

A Drexel student reported that unauthorized purchases were made on his debit card at an off campus location.

Sept. 25 to Sept. 27, 200 block of North 34th Street

A Drexel student reported that unknown person(s) entered his vehicle in an unknown manner and removed camera equipment.

Sept 26, 10:19am 3200 block of Chestnut Street

A man walked into the Drexel bookstore, took various amounts from inside and fled the store.  Drexel Police arrested the man.

Sept. 29, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 3500 block of Lancaster Avenue

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that Sept. 29, between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., unknown person(s) took her bicycle that was secured to a railing with a chain lock.

Sept. 24 to Sept. 26, 1400 Vine St.

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that unknown person(s) took their bike that was secured to a railing with a chain lock.

Sept. 27 to Sept. 30, 200 block of North 34th Street

A Drexel affiliate reported that an unknown person(s) removed cash from a secured cash box, which is something no one else has access to and it was not forced open.

Sept. 28 to Sept. 29, 400 block of North 32nd Street

A Drexel student reported that unknown person(s) took his bicycle that was secured to a fence with a cable lock.

Sept. 29, 3:45 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. 3100 block of Chestnut Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took her purse and cell phone that was left unattended in a common area.

Sept. 30, 9:25 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. 3500 block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that an unknown person(s) took his bicycle that was secured to a bike post with a U-Lock.

VANDALISM (1)

Sept. 26 to Sept. 29, 3100 block of Chestnut Street

A Drexel manager reported that between Sept. 26 and Sept. 29 unknown person(s) wrote graffiti on a bench.

POLICY VIOLATIONS (10)

During the period covered in this report, there were eight Policy Violations for alcohol and two Policy Violations for drugs. The reports were sent to the Office of Student Conduct for review.

Hannah Bofinger, a senior chemistry major, recently won Female Athlete of the Year for club sports.

Triangle Talks: How long have you played field hockey?

Hannah Bofinger: I have played field hockey for 10 years. I started playing in middle school and continued throughout high school and college.

TT: How did you get involved in field hockey at Drexel?
HB: I loved playing field hockey so much in high school that when I found out I would be attending Drexel I immediately started researching on the Drexel websites if they had a club team. I found the club contact information and contacted the president at the time, Alisha Strayer, to find out more about the club and how I could join. After attending my first practice I loved the team and wanted to continue playing.

TT: What is your favorite aspect of the Drexel team?

HB: My favorite aspect of the club field hockey team is that not only did I get to play a sport that I love at a competitive level. I also had the opportunity to utilize and refine my leadership skills by becoming an officer.

TT: Can you recall your favorite memory from the team?

HB: My favorite memory from the team was making it to the fall championship in Virginia Beach, [Va.], my freshman year and scoring a goal versus Villanova [University].

TT: Did you hold any officer positions?

HB: I have held numerous officer positions of the club during my five years at Drexel. My sophomore and pre-junior years I was recruitment officer, my junior year I was secretary, and my senior year I was president.

TT: What other extracurricular activities and hobbies do you partake in?

HB: Along with participating in club field hockey, I am also a member of the American Chemical Society and a lifeguard at the recreation center.

TT: It is almost graduation, how do you feel about that? What are your goals after graduation?

HB: It is very surreal that time has flown by so fast and now after five years I will be graduating. I will miss college, but I am very eager to see what lies in the future for me. After graduation I will be working at Croda USA Inc. in their Graduate Trainee Program. Hopefully I will be able to make a difference in the chemical industry.

TT: If you could have three wishes, what would they be?

HB: If I had three wishes it would be one, that all of my student loans would go away, two, that I could live on an island in the Caribbean, and three, that I could meet Beyoncé.

The post Triangle Talks with Hannah Bofinger appeared first on The Triangle.

The following are crimes that occurred on or near campus and were reported to The Triangle by the Drexel University Department of Public Safety between May 14, 2014, and May 27, 2014. All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement or DPS incident reports.

ROBBERY (1)

May 23, 11:40 p.m. 400 Block of North 35^th Street

A Drexel student reported that May 23 at 11:40 p.m., he was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males who fled the scene in a vehicle after not taking anything. No injuries.

ASSAULT (1)

May 16, 11:30 p.m. 3200 Block of Race Street

A Drexel student reported that May 16 at 11:30 p.m., he was assaulted by his roommate during a verbal confrontation. The incident was sent to the Office of Student Conduct.

THEFT (14)

May 12, 200 Block of North Broad Street

A Drexel employee reported that between May 12 and May 13, unknown person(s) took a coffee maker that was left unattended in an unsecured office.

May 12, 3300 Block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that between May 12 and May 14, unknown person(s) took clothing that was left unattended in an unlocked locker.

May 13, Unit Block of South 33^rd Street

A Drexel student reported that between May 13 and May 14, unknown person(s) took her bicycle that was secured to a bicycle rack with a cable lock.

May 6, 2 p.m.  3300 Block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that May 6, between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., unknown person(s) took textbooks and a charger that were left unattended in a study room.

May 15, 100 Block of North 33^rd Street

A Drexel student reported that between May 15 and May 16, unknown person(s) took his bicycle that was secured to a bicycle rack with a chain lock.

May 18, 1 a.m. 3300 Block of Race Street

A Drexel student reported that May 18, between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., unknown person(s) took his iPhone 5 that was left unattended in a common area.

May 12, 3200 Block of Race Street

A Drexel student reported that between May 12 and May 18, unknown person(s) entered a sorority locker by force and took a wooden chest engraved with the sorority logo.

May 19, 10 a.m. Unit Block of South 32^nd Street

A Drexel staff member reported that May 19, between 10 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., unknown person(s) took her bicycle that was secured to a bicycle rack with a cable lock.

May 19, 9 a.m.  200 Block of North 34^th Street

A Drexel student reported that May 19, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., unknown person(s) took the rear wheel from her bicycle that was secured to a bicycle rack with a chain.

May 9, 3100 Block of Market Street

A Drexel student reported that between May 9 and May 21, unknown person(s) took his bicycle that was secured to a bicycle rack with a chain and U-lock.

May 20, 200 Block of North 34^th Street

A Drexel student reported that between May 20 and May 21, unknown person(s) took his bicycle that was left unsecured in a bicycle rack.

May 7, 3100 Block of Hamilton Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that between May 7 and May 18, unknown person(s) broke the window to his vehicle and took a GPS that was left in view.

May 26, 3:15 p.m. 1400 Block of Wood Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that May 26, between 3:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., unknown person(s) broke the window to her vehicle and took clothing and electronic equipment that was left in view.

May 26, 1500 Block of Race Street

A non-Drexel affiliate reported that between May 26 and May 27, unknown person(s) broke the window to his vehicle and took a GPS and charger that were left in view.

VANDALISM (2)

May 2, 3400 Block of Powelton Avenue

A Drexel student reported that between May 2 and May 16, unknown person(s) spray painted graffiti on the rear steps of her property.

May 16, 3200 Block of Lancaster Walk

A Drexel affiliate reported that between May 16 and May 20, unknown person(s) spray painted graffiti on the wall of a Drexel owned property.

DRUGS (1)

May 19, 10:20 a.m. 3400 Block of Powelton Avenue

Philadelphia Police arrested two Drexel students May 19 at 10:20 a.m., for sales and possession of illegal narcotics. The report was sent to the office of Student Conduct.

During the period covered in this report, there were three (3) police violations for alcohol. The reports were sent to the Office of Student Conduct for review.

The post Crime and Policy Violation Report May 14-27 appeared first on The Triangle.

Photo Courtesy

Brett Axler is junior entertainment and arts management student who has worked lights and sound at many high-profile events around Philadelphia and is currently employed by XFINITY! Live.

The Triangle: What’s your story? What brought you to Drexel?

Brett Axler: I started looking into colleges as a sophomore at Rancocas Valley Regional High School. Drexel was the first school I visited, and the thing that struck me by surprise was seeing the extensive list of companies that students had co-oped with over the recent years. At the time, I was interested in going to school for theatrical lighting and sound production, which Drexel did not have, so I got in touch with Brian Moore and Larry Epstein from the entertainment and arts management [department] and soon realized it was the perfect major for me. I started attending classes at Drexel in September of 2011.

TT: How did you get started working on high-performance shows?

BA: I’ve been working in the entertainment industry in one facet or another since I was very young. I started off onstage as a performer in a production of “The Music Man,” but I quickly moved into audio production when I realized I was more interested in finding out how the microphone attached to me worked than I was in receiving applause from the audience. Besides working on dozens of productions at my high school, I worked as an audio visual technician at Six Flags Great Adventure as a [high school] freshman, where I learned to mix live, large-scale concerts. By my junior year, I had worked at most of the major South Jersey theaters and performance venues and started making my way into Philadelphia. Freshman year of college, I started working with the Philadelphia Fringe Arts Festival as their assistant production manager and soon began work at Lincoln Financial Field in the audio visual broadcasting department where to this day I work on every Eagles game, Temple game, National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament and concert that goes on in the venue. Once I started work at the [Lincoln Financial Field], my workload boomed, and I have since worked in every arena and stadium in the Philadelphia region, as well as all the major Philadelphia theaters on Broad Street.

TT: What’s the coolest show you’ve worked on?

BA: In the past few years, I’ve worked on about 45 large-scale events (over 5,000 in attendance) and well over 130 productions with audiences and crowds of various sizes. Out of all those shows, the recent Taylor Swift concert at the Linc this past summer was by far the coolest show, not for any reason that most people would expect, though. I was standing by with one of my producers as the in-house audio-video control engineers for the concert when a massive lightning storm rolled in. With very little notice, we had to evacuate the stadium of 50,000 guests onto the concourse and work with the tour’s production crew to wait out the storm and get the concert back on about two hours after it was supposed to start. However, there were only two of us working and between the two of us we had to run the equivalent of 8-12 control positions to get the messages out to the fans to stay safe and wait out the storm. This was the coolest production solely because I love organized chaos.

TT: Do you get to meet the performers? If yes, do you ever feel starstruck?

BA: Yes, I get to meet the performers at concerts and players at sporting events. Luckily, I don’t like sports much so having a casual conversation with Nick Foles or Claude Giroux happens here and there without making a [big] deal of it. Overall though, even with performers and VIPs, to me they’re just people with a lot of money and a decent amount of power. So, I respect them like I respect any executive in my company. Really can’t say I’ve ever been star-struck though. I will admit — I was quite excited to meet Ed Snider for the first time though; he is a huge role model to me. 

TT: Do you have any suggestions for students hoping to break into the entertainment industry?

BA: Put your time in, no one’s going to start on top or even remotely close to the middle. Figure out what it is you want to do in the long run and start to make a plan of how you would like to get there. Internships and co-ops are amazing opportunities; more people I work with everyday started as interns and were hired after than people who just randomly put in an application after college. You may have to grab coffee, hand flyers out or work the overnight shifts, but if you show you’re dedicated and you earn the respect of those around you, just wait, because your phone’s going to start ringing.

TT: What are you involved with at Drexel, and how do you balance your professional life with your student life?

BA: Mostly, I am just involved in the Drexel Athletics and Drexel Student Affairs events here at Drexel. Balancing between activities, school work and my professional work around Philly takes a lot of detailed scheduling and does not leave much time for a social life. It’s a big joke with a lot of my friends that they know if they really need to get in touch with me their best bet is to stop by where I work and find me in person. I’m less stressed when I am busy though, so I tend to work 40-50-hour weeks on top of my 18 credits.

TT: A genie grants you three wishes, what are they?

BA: 1. More time everyday to spend with my family and friends

2. Not to have to worry about the amount of money I make in my job but just to do it because I love it

3. Find a way to share my passion for my work with those around me

TT: Favorite Drexel moment and biggest Drexel regret?

BA: Favorite Drexel moment: Hosting the Drexel Sports Professionals Networking Dinner this past January

Biggest Drexel regret: Waiting until nearly the end of my sophomore year to get involved in more activities

TT: What are your plans for after graduation?

BA: I still have one year left of Drexel, but it’s my plan to stay with my current employer, XFINITY Live! Philadelphia then work my way up through different jobs to eventually be a producer of the International Olympics Opening Ceremonies. As for a full-time job, I would like to be an executive director of entertainment and operations management for a major event and venue management company such as Global Spectrum, SMG, The Madison Square Garden Company or Live Nation.

TT: What’s something that most people don’t know about you?

BA: I have a very unique taste in music; I love to listen to Broadway, movie soundtracks and a cappella renditions of current music. Also, the number one goal in my personal life is to one day, years from now, raise a beautiful, happy family along with the future love of my life.

Triangle Talks is a weekly column that highlights members of the Drexel community.

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