Statistics deals with probability and uncertainty all the time. It is not, however, by chance that statistics major Brian Fomby has been chosen as the College of Arts and Sciences Student of the Month for November. Brian came to USC as a transfer student from the US Naval Academy and has proved to be an exceptional student during his career here. His initial academic interest in our College was in economics, but in discussions with his professors he turned to a major in statistics as both more interesting to him and more practical in terms of his long range goal of a corporate career.

Brian is from Lexington, SC, where his parents, Bob and Carol Fomby, raised him and his 4 siblings. He attended Lexington High School before being accepted to enter the prestigious US Naval Academy in 2000. When he changed his mind about attending in Annapolis and wanted to 'return to the civilian sector,' he came back to South Carolina, well aware of the quality and reputation of the College of Arts and Sciences at USC. His choice of the USC was a natural fit, and appears to run in the family. His younger brother and sister both attend USC; one is an undergraduate in the College of Engineering and Information Technology and the other is in the College of Education.

Brian has been very pleased with his experiences in the College and the expertise that he has developed in statistics and mathematics. He has already passed the first phase of the National Actuarial Exam (called the P-Exam), which is essential for certification in that field. Like so many students who immerse themselves in their academic work, Brian also finds relaxation in a favorite non-academic activity. In his case, it is wood-working. He believes that the same multidimensional approach to problem solving he uses in mathematics is also applicable to making fine furniture. He enjoys the challenge of both types of activities and finds pleasure intellectually and aesthetically in the final products.

In addition to his major in statistics, Brian is pursuing a second major in mathematics and a minor in risk management and insurance. With the credentials he is establishing in his interdisciplinary work in these two majors and the minor, he anticipates moving smoothly into the business world. He certainly has developed a great many of the tools required for success in such an endeavor. Nevertheless, to enhance his opportunities for long-range success in the business world, Brian has decided to pursue graduate studies after completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Spring 2007. He is applying the master's degree program in the Department of Statistics at USC. With these great ambitions, and the academic experiences he has had in the College of Arts and Sciences to help him fulfill them, there is little doubt that Brian will be successful when he steps out from USC into the world of corporate enterprise. Of that we can be certain!

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