Business management sophomore Brandi Lynn Thomas is 19 years old and already has her own company and a Congressional Award Gold Medal.U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, presented the medal to Thomas for her more than 1,700 hours of community service work.
She spent more than 320 hours teaching ballroom dancing to students at Mandeville High School and 430 hours creating an English as a second language curriculum for Chinese students.
Thomas got to go to Macau, China, and teach English to students of all ages.
“They were so welcoming and really willing to learn,” Thomas said. “It’s a passion of mine to help other people and teach.”Thomas said teaching Mandeville High School’s swing dance club was the most enjoyable thing she’s ever done.
“It was amazing to see the kinds of people that ballroom dance. You’d have football players dancing with band members,” Thomas said. “It was incredible to see those walls broken down.”Thomas has been dancing since she was 9 years old, when her grandfather taught her how to waltz. When she was 14, she was in ballroom dance competitions, and she is now an active member of the University’s ballroom dance club.”It’s the highlight of my week for sure,” Thomas said.Now Thomas has her own ballroom dance company, Ballroom By Brandi, in Covington.”I started the company when I was 16 and I have expanded it from just teaching group classes to doing private lessons with brides and grooms for their first dance,” Thomas said. “I rent space from a local studio to keep costs down. I’m my own business owner, so I can plan out when I want to work.”The business, volunteer work and an essay were all parts of the process of receiving the Congressional Award.Thomas was unable to go to the awards ceremony in Washington D.C., but she met with Rep. Scalise recently to be awarded her medal.More than 250 young people, from 14 to 23 years old, receive the award each year. The recipients meet goals in four areas: public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition.
Thomas said she hopes to be an event planner after finishing her entrepreneurship concentration in the business school.–Contact Catherine Threlkeld at [email protected]