Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Clark.
Hi Brandon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Orlando from Illinois to go to UCF. I went to a club tabling event for incoming Freshmen and saw a club called the “Nearly Headless Knights.” They said that they were club that plays Quidditch but as a co-ed competitive sport! I immediately knew I wanted to join and have been playing ever since. After my second year of playing for the Nearly Headless Knights, I decided to move up and join the Adult Club team in Orlando called Carnage. I’ve been playing for Carnage for 3 seasons now, and at the end of last season, I was handed down the responsibility of running and organizing the team.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been plenty of struggles in my years in the sport. We often see people walking by and laughing at us for taking photos during practices. Some people even think we shouldn’t be allowed to play a full-contact sport that’s co-ed and allows people to be true to their gender identity. Of course, the pandemic was a big struggle. In March of 2020, we had earned a spot at the USQ National Tournament, but the event, and the entire next season, was canceled due to COVID. Recruiting can also be a big obstacle, there are only a few colleges in Florida that play the sport, and not everyone wants to play after college. We try our hardest to recruit new players and introduce people to the sport every year.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m currently a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at UCF. I just finished my first year doing research at the Center for Research in Computer Vision. I’m most proud of making it to grad school under a Fellowship and following my dream of conducting cutting-edge scientific research. I’m currently working on a geo-localization project, which uses deep learning to predict the GPS coordinates of where a picture was taken.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
You have to be able to step out of your comfort zone and introduce yourself. I got into my Ph.D. program because I knew one professor was very prestigious in his field, and I decided to send an email asking if there were any research projects I could join in on. From there, I started doing research in my last semester of undergrad, and everything took off. So just being able to push yourself out of your comfort zone, finding the right person to mentor you or connect with, and doing what it takes to talk to them one-on-one.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarnageQC
Image Credits
Carlton Clinkscales
Ryan Wardell
