Fox Brown may represent all UNC Greensboro students as president of the Student Government Association (SGA), but he couldn’t be further from the stereotype of a typical college student. Between his family responsibilities, the multiple degrees he’s earning, and the commitments he’s made to make UNC Greensboro better during his time here, Brown keeps lots of balls in the air. Life experiences have driven his educational choices and molded the UNCG pre-law student we see today.
A Path Diverged
Being a non-traditional student is nothing new for Brown. Although he attended public school until fifth grade, his mother’s love for the Montessori method shaped the way Brown learned. He was homeschooled in later years as his family moved from Southern Pines to Kernersville, NC to be closer to family after the death of a grandparent.
His family’s hardworking Quaker values shaped Brown’s goals, but he received little guidance from his parents about higher education. His mother attended college briefly, and his father earned an associate’s degree in applied science for automotive technology. Brown tested into Forsyth Technical Community College and began taking courses for an applied science degree with plans to work in computer engineering.
“I actually started college when I was 15 and finished my first degree at 17,” says Brown. “At Forsyth Tech, I found it easy to blend in with students from all stages of life.”
Even as the youngest on campus, Brown thrived in a collegiate atmosphere. He joined a service fraternity, got his first taste of student government as treasurer and public information officer, and excelled in his classes — which made him curious about different degrees and his transfer options.
He considered Guilford College but wasn’t able to get the scholarship support he needed. UNCG offered a more reasonable tuition, but Brown hit a roadblock because he didn’t have the associate’s degree in arts needed to transfer as a junior. Instead, he decided to join the workforce, taking jobs in retail and hospitality management.
Mind for Politics
Even during his break from college, Brown’s interest in service and civic engagement continued. Voting rights struck a chord with him from the time he reached voting age.
“I started to really take a deeper interest in politics and the law when I was involved in a gerrymandering case in my voting district,” he explains. “They picked me to be one of only two voter plaintiffs from the state to go to Raleigh and testify before three judges.”
The experience gave Brown a passion for representing citizens and exposed him to the many career paths in political science. Around that time, he lost both parents within a couple of years of each other, which meant care for his grandmother and disabled brother now rested on his shoulders.
Realizing the limited wage possibilities for the jobs he was working, he decided to go back to school full-time. “I’m so thankful I broke out of that rut,” Brown remembers. “I just didn’t feel like I was making a meaningful impact with anything I was doing.”
Finding His Way
During the pandemic, Brown completed a second associate’s degree at Guilford Technical Community College, which enabled him to transfer to UNCG as a third-year political science major. He covered tuition with help from the TrACE program for transfers, private donations, and student loans.
Ironically, after much life experience, Brown had finally landed on a four-year college campus but was still a non-traditional student: “I felt the same way I did when I was 15 in community college. UNCG’s diversity, with a broad array of people at different stages of life and different ages, helped me to blend in.”
He joined Theta Delta Chi fraternity, took up fencing, and became the transfer representative for SGA. He also found himself drawn to the University’s motto of service. As a regular at UNCG’s service days, Brown loves volunteering in the Greensboro community. “It gives me a taste for how things work in life and the need for things to get better.”
At UNCG, he could be a fully involved college student while caring for his family and pursuing his dreams. He began a pre-law professional track and then added another major in business.
Brown loved how his classes complemented each other. Political science classes taught the judicial process, international law, and environmental law, all of which applied to his service work. Business classes focused on organization, management, and matching skill sets to workflows.
He credits professors for helping him to find practical applications of his studies: “You can learn theory in textbooks, but you need a professor to help you work through examples of how you’ll use what you’re learning in real life.”
When he ran for SGA president and won in 2025, he applied the theory he’d learned in both fields of study.
“My class about the American presidency helped me understand how my position would work and how power works,” Brown explains. “It matters who you pick for your cabinet because you’re working through people so much. And I use my business classes when I’m managing my cabinet and trying to get my ideas across.”
Practicing Politician
This year, Brown has used both his studies and life experiences in his role as SGA president.
“I have learned to meet people where they are and always start by listening,” he says. This helps him relate to students he represents and work with professionals he serves with on UNCG’s Board of Trustees. “I’d have a hard time finding an internship that could match working with the experience around that table,” he adds.
Another highlight of Brown’s presidency was writing a constitutional amendment — the first one UNCG had seen in many years. “It was very simple. It just made sure we were compensating our director of sustainability the same way we were the other directors,” he says. “I wrote it up, got it on the ballot, and it was passed.”
In the process, Brown realized the importance of understanding the process and governing documents: “That’s where my pre-law training came in. I understood where there was a problem and knew how to fix it.”
He praises the diverse group that works with him in SGA and the successes they’ve enjoyed together. “Our delegation consistently shows up and works hard,” he says. “We’ve had better attendance than UNC-Chapel Hill, which has a much larger SGA, in our system-wide Student Government Association meetings this year.”
Brown is wrapping up his term as the 112th president this spring, which will allow him to focus on academics before graduating in May 2027. He’s decided to take an extra year so he can graduate with honors with double majors in political science and business and a minor in history. After that, he’s already identified some Ivy League schools where he can dual-enroll as a law and MBA student.
The opportunities he’s taken advantage of at UNCG should certainly help him achieve these lofty goals, but serving others is always top of mind for Fox Brown: “I hope I’ve made a difference on this campus as I kind of practice to make an even bigger difference in the world.”
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications.
