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What do Broadway, weekend gigs, comic books turned action movies, a 17-year healthcare career and SM������ have in common? Energy, passion, drive? Well, that’s a given! Does the common denominator have a source? Why, of course!

Meet Brandon Warren (MPA, 2023).

Warren spent his childhood in upstate New York and wanted to become a performer.

“I had always dreamed of being on Saturday Night Live as a comedian or as a musician, or involved in some sort of broadcasting, television or entertainment,” he recalls.

When Warren graduated high school in 2003, he held his dream close and pursued a communication degree that he felt would marry the practical with his passion. He graduated from a state university in 2007 and moved to New York City because of its abundant performance opportunities. But he didn’t only have stars in his eyes: Warren had also been “bitten by the pragmatism bug [and wanted to] seek out a job that you’re actually able to pay the bills with,” he says. Fortunately, he knew someone who could show him the ropes.

“I had a friend who graduated a year earlier who’s also a singer–songwriter,” Warren says. “He worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and said he could help get me an interview.”

This resonated with Warren because his grandmother, with whom he was very close, had been diagnosed with cancer about the time he started his job search. She was also a former nurse, so Warren had observed firsthand how a healthcare career can positively affect others. 

Warren not only secured an interview, but he also landed the role of office coordinator. He stayed in that position for nine years while continuing to play gigs, write songs, participate in theater and even release a couple of albums. “I tried to artistically continue to stay very active,” he says.

In his coordinator role, Warren had opportunities to serve different leaders. One of these experiences — supporting the chairman of the department of surgery who decided to retire — became a catalyst for Warren to seek out a more senior position. Thus, his upward climb began.

Warren assumed a team-lead position and was next promoted to assistant manager and then senior manager in medicine.

His successes weren’t happening in a vacuum, though. He was diligently pursuing a Master of Public Administration (more on that later). For part of that, he was also contending with a global pandemic. He recalls encouraging his staff: “We’re going to get out, and we’re gonna be all right. But it was tough at the end of the day.” He pauses. “I wasn’t sure if I actually believed it.”

On top of that, Warren hadn’t been able to play music because venues were closed during the pandemic. He had a strong need to “feel human again, feel productive, like I was contributing to society.” 

Thankfully, Warren had a friend who knew mentoring was important to Warren and suggested he check out the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. About this time, Warren also found out he and his wife were expecting their first child.

The big milestone of parenthood didn’t deter Warren from pursuing the opportunity with Big Brothers, though. Instead, he threw himself into the arduous application process and was eventually matched with Miles Newman, a high school sophomore at the time.

Newman refers to Warren as simply “the best.” “Our pairing was truly perfect,” he adds.

Newman signed up for the program because he wanted to gain knowledge he wouldn’t find in a regular school setting. He also wanted someone who could help him navigate the college process and “someone to rely on when things got hard.”

Warren exceeded Newman’s expectations on all counts, even sharing a deep-seated love for music.

Warren was equally enthusiastic when Newman introduced him to a new category of entertainment: comic books turned into movies. “I’d never once seen [that type of] movie in my life,” he says. That time, he notes, the teacher learned from the student.

It was the college conversation, however, that changed Warren’s educational trajectory. Since orientation at MSKCC, Warren knew that his employer would help pay for his tuition if he decided to pursue a graduate degree. “I had always wanted to [get a master’s], but I just never got around to it,” Warren says.

Newman was a performer like Warren, so they spent hours discussing the pros and cons of a performance career versus a more traditional path.

Then one night, Newman called Warren. He was anxious about college, life and the choices he was making, Warren recalls. The conversation proved pivotal to both parties. A couple of weeks later, Newman announced he was going to pursue a communication degree at Pace University.

“I am incredibly proud of that,” Warren shares. “I realized after I had this conversation with him the influence that good leadership, good mentorship, advocacy and outreach had on this one individual.”

Warren smiles. “I inspired him to go for the communications degree and he inspired me to go for the public administration degree.” Warren enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program at UOPX in August 2021 and took a six-week course every single week until graduating in January 2023.

Admittedly, Warren had a lot of things going for him. He picked UOPX because it’s tailored to working adults and parents. He was already good with time management, routinely meeting deadlines for work and staying organized. Still, he realized the importance of sticking with a weekly schedule to ensure he submitted all his assignments on time.

Meanwhile, performance venues gradually reopened, and Warren made time to play music. “I felt like I was in a good enough rhythm that I could dedicate a little bit more of my time to artistic endeavors.”

Even with a strong routine, self-discipline and creative outlets, Warren realized he didn’t live inside a Marvel comic book. “At a certain point, being a human being started to catch up with me,” he says, acknowledging that his stamina to do all things (work, family, school, art) could only last so long.

Seeing the finish line for his degree was motivation enough to pull him through. “It got to be a little challenging toward the end, but I stuck it out, and I got there,” he says.

Got there may be an understatement. Warren graduated with a 4.0 GPA in January 2023.

Even so, Warren displays humility. “I know a lot of folks [get the degree]. I want people to realize just how possible this is, that my story isn’t special.”

Another degree may be in his future, but for now, Warren is happy to be father to his 3-year-old child and apply his hard-earned knowledge to his executive-level role: He is currently the associate director of supportive care at MSKCC.

You may also catch him playing weekends gigs on the Upper East Side or performing in the Off-Broadway Scottish production, Lifeline.

Energy, passion, drive? For sure! But don’t underestimate that you also might have what it takes. Consider Warren’s challenge: “Make my story less special by more of you doing it.”

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