Brendan DeVoue, DMSB'19, recently took over our Instagram account during his final semester at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business. We asked DeVoue to reflect on his time at Northeastern University, including co-op experiences, time on the tennis court, and his viral #BlackBoyJoy video. Be sure to follow his Instagram takeover beginning Monday, Jan. 14 @damoremckim.

Q:What year are you graduating and what are your concentrations?

I am graduating in May of 2019 with a marketing major and a psychology minor.

Q:Have you had any global experiences at Northeastern? Where did you go and why?

I started my Northeastern experience though N.U.in Greece. I chose Greece because it seemed like a place I would be least likely to live in after graduation and the opportunity seemed too great to pass on. The ability to immerse myself into a culture so unlike mine was perfect.

Q:Tell us about your past co-op experiences

I completed my first co-op at Sanofi Genzyme, a pharma company in Cambridge. I did marketing in their Multiple Sclerosis (MS) department, educating patients and their caretakers on how they can better manage MS. This was an emotionally filled co-op as MS is such an aggressive disease. My second co-op was at Salsify, a local tech start-up in Boston doing some amazing things in the e-commerce space. The start-up culture was familial but hardworking. Everyone was excited to work on what is now turning into something great!

Q: Tell us about your most recent co-op at Amazon.

I worked on the brand advertising team under Amazon Web Services. I took a leap of faith and moved to Seattle, and as a result, it may have been one of the most surreal experiences I have ever had as a co-op. I learned so much in such a short amount of time and the creative process was incredible. One project my team worked on was a commercial that aired during the MLB World Series Games. Leading up to its airing everything was confidential, however understanding what was in the works was so exciting.

Q:What are you involved with on campus?

Before I left for Seattle, I was the president of the Northeastern Tennis Team, a Northeastern Presidential Ambassador, an EMPOWER Fellow, and a Legacy Senior Mentor. All of these organizations have allowed me to build myself up with different skills and prepared me for work too.

Q:What is some advice you would give to your fellow Huskies and why?

It is important to pursue things you love, but try to innovate in them as well. Enjoy your time and experiences, but  during them, remember the ability you have to make things even better for those who come after you. I encourage you to find a mentor and also become one. Both parties learn from each other in a mentor/mentee relationship. That is how we make Northeastern better as a collective.

Q:As a soon to be graduating senior, what are your thoughts on the future? What sticks out as a favorite memory at D'Amore-McKim and why?

I think I've accomplished the goals I've set out for myself as a freshman. The future is very much unknown and a little daunting. However, I'm learning that trusting myself has led me to graduation so I will continue to do that going forward. My favorite memory at D'Amore-McKim has to be my experience in the Organizational Behavior class. The class blended work and reality so well and in a fun way too. One of the best courses I took at Northeastern, thanks to Curtis Odom.

DeVoue was recently profiled by News at Northeastern. Read the full story.