Hello all, my name is Brian Branigan, I am the father of two boys, Liam 13 and Orin 10, I have a wonderful wife (Melissa) who just graduated from ODU. I was born in a small town (Smithtown) on the north shore of Long Island, NY. I grew up on the beaches and in the suburbs about an hour outside of Manhattan. Long Island is a beautiful place full of lush farmland and county parks.
After the birth of our first child we headed south to find a new home. We landed in Fredericksburg because of my employer GEICO. I have worked at GEICO for the past 13 years, through the years I have worked in three different regions (Woodbury NY, Fredericksburg VA, and Buffalo, NY) and held every position in the claims department. Currently I am the supervisor of the performance monitoring team within the claims department.
History 380 is the last class I will be taking at UMW once complete; I will graduate with a BPS in Business with a concentration in Leadership Management. Currently I have a 3.74 GPA which means I will obtain the Magna Cum Laude honor but my goal is to increase my GPA to 3.75 and graduate Summa Cum Laude. I want to show my boys that continued hard work always pays off.
When I am not in school or at work I love to volunteer in the community, recently I had the pleasure of being the announcer for the Special Olympics All-Star Friday Night. My wife, boys and I love to explore the many great state parks and historical sites throughout Virginia.
Hello Brian!
Welcome to Virginia. I find it really cool that you have moved around and not stayed in the same place all your life. I, personally, have never lived in any state outside of Virginia. Of the places that you have lived, which town or state has been your favorite? Also congratulations on being so close to finishing your degree here at the University of Mary Washington. I hope that you get your 3.75 GPA. It is great to hear about your love for volunteering. It is always important to try to improve the community that you are apart of. Finally, I believe that you and your family are in the right city if you are looking for cool state parks or historical sites. I grew up just North of frederickburg and this city has always been a place for field trips in order to see historically significant sites in Virginia. I hope this is a great summer session for you and I look forward to seeing your projects!
Robbie Pratt
Hey Robbie, I lived in NY all my life, that is until my wife wanted to move closer to her parents in NOVA. My job just happened to have an office in VA so we moved. Prior to that I had not been south of NJ, after I moved I realized how much more was out there and I am just talking about the US, east coast really.
Now we try to travel within the US as much as we can, maybe we will come across out next location. We love VA, so I will agree we found the right place. Tons of history and parks, you truly have a beautiful home state.
Have a great semester.
Wow, I am sure your children and wife are very proud of you. It is not easy working and going to school. I know with children you are busy as well. Good luck in making your GPA goal. Sounds like you and your wife are doing your best to be great role models for your kids not only with education, but with your volunteering time.
Good luck with the course.
Thanks Cortiz, they are. I am just as proud of them for supporting me through this journey. Like anyone we hope to be the best parents we can. As long as they are smiling functioning members of society then I have done my job.
Have a great semester
Hey, congrats on the GPA and graduating. I wish you luck in this class. For the record, even though this is an online class, it’s nice to have another adult student here. I haven’t seen very many in the year that I have been at UMW.
Same here, there are a lot more if you take classes at night on the Stafford campus.
Hi Brian, my name is Jeffrey. My wife is from New York (upstate) and I lived there for several years myself. It is a beautiful place to live, but unfortunately not the best place to find employment. What are your favorite topics when it comes to history? I really like your point on showing your kids that hard work pays off, which is something I hope I will be able to do with my child when it is born. Also, congratulations on finishing up your time here, what I would give to just have one last class.
Hi Jeffery, we have something in common my wife is also from upstate NY the Binghamton area. It would be hard to pick a favorite topic, I just thin it is interesting to look back on it to see the opinions of the people shaping it at the time. Favorite time period if I had to choose one… maybe the 60’s. I am sure you will be a great Dad, when you little one enters the world. The sure do change you, for the better that is.
Just keep taking classes as often as you can and soon you will be one class away I have been working towards this for a long time, it still hasn’t sunken in yet though.
Hi Brian, being fairly new to VA myself I have not had the chance to visit many state parks and historical sites here. Do you have any favorites?
Absolutely , Shenandoah is my favorite by far. Natural Bridge is really nice as well. Enjoy exploring!
Hi Brian! I’m Shauna. That is awesome you and your wife both graduated from college with two children! I am sure you both make excellent role models for them. Do you plan to continue working at Geico once you graduate? I have friends who work there, and they give mixed responses of whether they like it or not. I have never been to Long Island, but I love Manhattan, so I am sure it was amazing to be a short train ride away. Good luck with your last class at UMW!
Hey Shauna, its been a challenge with kids, school, work & family. You get out what you put it. Its easy to say that now that I am one class away :).
I will absolutely be staying with GEICO after I graduate. I love working for/with them, a lot of people give a lot of opinions. They have been in this area over 21 years so things are bound to happen. They have always been very good to me and my family no matter which office I have worked it.
Congratulations on being close to the graduate finish line! My Dad grew up on Staten Island and my grandfather used to live there so I know how beautiful it can be. How was moving around so often? I love to travel but I am worried that I might become too attached to an area. Again, congrats on the GPA and graduating.
Thanks, I cannot wait to graduate, it has been a long time coming. I love moving it gives you a chance to explore a new area of the country even if it is only a few states away. You do get attached to an area, my family and I have planted root in Fredericksburg, it will be difficult to leave when the time comes.