W. P. Carey grad starts scholarship six months after graduating
Most people wait until they are financially secure to get serious about giving, but Brian Etheridge (B.S. Economics ’96) got started just six months after he graduated from the W. P. Carey School. At the age of 21, just starting his career, he established a scholarship for business students. The first recipient received $500, but this year the Brian Etheridge Scholarship winner was awarded $10,000.
Etheridge started the scholarship because he saw a gap in financial aid at ASU. Some excellent students exceed the hardship criteria, but nevertheless need help with college costs, he explained. And even though they are capable of achieving a 4.0 grade point average, some don’t, because they work and volunteer. That description fits Etheridge himself, and if his success is any indicator, helping others like him so that they can complete their education is a great investment.
“I made a conscious decision to apply what I was learning the next day on the job.”
The Michigan native was an honors student, but he didn’t want to spend all of his time studying: “I made a conscious decision to apply what I was learning the next day on the job.” Work consumed 30 hours a week — evenings and weekends — processing checks for First Interstate Bank (now Wells Fargo). The job became Etheridge’s scholarship, because he qualified for a tuition reimbursement. Any time remaining after work, classes and studying was devoted to volunteer and leadership activities on campus.
After graduation, Etheridge spent a couple years in the banking industry and then made the jump into technology. He endured the dips and bumps of the tech industry before joining Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. as global manager of custom solutions. For three years he lived in Indonesia, where he built out the company’s development team. He and his wife lived in Jakarta when two of their three children were born. The family returned to Phoenix a year ago.
On top of his day job, Etheridge runs three businesses. One business develops iPad games for the Apple store and another manages his rental properties. The third is a retail business; he and his sister, Erica Etheridge Gentile (MBA ’07), operate two Kid to Kid stores, which buy and sell maternity and kids clothing, furniture, books and other items. Through it all he’s managed to write three books, including “The Tribe,” which he says is being considered for movie treatment. The lead character is named after one of Etheridge’s favorite economics professors, the late Roger Faith.
It’s the kind of full life that Etheridge hopes to develop in the next generation through his scholarship. The Brian Etheridge Scholarship winners share three characteristics: they are excellent students, they are working while in school — preferably in their major, and they are volunteer leaders. Review panels made up of Etheridge, his sister and representatives of various industries make the decision. A second group — friends and family — help Etheridge fund the scholarship each year.
Etheridge has also teamed up with fellow alumnus Robert Redden (B.S. Economics ’96, MBA ’02) to establish the Student Economics Association Award, which grants $500 to an outstanding member.
Etheridge credits the economics he learned at W. P. Carey for the analytical skills that enabled him to succeed. “The thought processes and techniques that I learned in my economics classes taught me how to evaluate situations and be ready for them — and analyze what was going to work and what wasn’t.”
He just couldn’t wait to help others learn those lessons too.
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