One of Dr. Cornell Bell's final recruits into the Business Opportunity Program was Darren Henry, who now leads BOP and serves as Krannert's director of diversity initiatives. (Photo by Charles Jischke).
New generations
In addition to being named by Diversity MBA as one of its 2017 “Top 100 under 50” emerging and executive leaders with advanced degrees, Darren Henry (MBA ’07) has the distinction of being Dr. Bell’s final BOP recruit at the graduate level and BOP’s current managing director.
“I had a difficult time as a Purdue undergraduate early in my career, so I thought adding an MBA would ensure my success,” says Henry, who competed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University and spent several years working in industry before Bell lured him back to the West Lafayette campus.
While completing his MBA and serving as the lead course instructor for Contemporary Thought of Minorities in Management (MGMT 243), however, Henry formed strong bonds with BOP undergraduates and followed the footsteps of his mentor to take the helm after Bell’s retirement in 2006.
“Never in a million years would I have thought I’d work at Purdue, but it was meant to be,” Henry says. “Now I get to help ensure that students don’t have to face the same struggles I had to overcome.”
Although Henry describes his predecessor as “one-of-a-kind” and “irreplaceable,” the latest generations of BOP students now look to him just as he and other alumni of the program looked to Bell.
“I have never known someone as obsessed with other people's success as Darren Henry,” says Janelle Davis, a member of BOP’s Class of 2016. “He genuinely cares about our well-being is one of the most humble, selfless individuals I know. He truly inspires us to be the best versions of ourselves we can be."
Community living
When Brianna Cook (BSM ’14) was considering her college choices as a high school senior in 2010, Purdue wasn’t even on her short list despite being the first university to send her an acceptance letter.
“I had offers from other schools and had committed to Ohio State before visiting Purdue, thinking ‘no way am I going to this place.’ Then I met Darren Henry and learned about the Business Opportunity Program,” Cook says. “He had so much passion for the program, its students and for the University that I changed my mind.”
Cook, now a sales manager and analyst at Shell Chemicals, describes the BOP summer session as “one of the favorite periods of my life.” But it’s the support she received throughout her Purdue experience that made the biggest impact.
“Many people think BOP is just a summer program before you go into your first semester, but it’s really a community that you join for a lifetime,” Cook says. “The program’s alumni network is extraordinary, especially for minority students. One of the reasons I was so excited and honored to be a part of BOP is because the alumni genuinely care about the students — we are all part of the same family.
“There were times I felt like I was in over my head, but BOP always gave me the encouragement to keep going. By the time I graduated, I felt knowledgeable, prepared, aware, confident and capable. That persistence, attitude and shared experience is a blessing worth celebrating, and I’m just as excited and honored as an alumna to help move BOP forward into the next 50 years.”
