Freshman Brandon Sayegh Works for Others, Holds Four Patents
Joins Talented Class of 2019
By Taylor Hornney
Class of 2016
SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga’s class of 2019 is filled with bright and talented students, including Brandon Sayegh who already holds four patents in his name and serves as president of the nonprofit organization his father started in 2011, the USS Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing the hope of a better life to underprivileged children.
Sayegh, who came to Gonzaga from Rancho Cucamonga, California, aims to major in business administration and hopes to some day own his own Fortune 500 company or take over the business his father Adel Sayegh founded and leads, Universal Surveillance Systems, a privately held loss-prevention company.
Brandon’s interest in his father’s business sparked his ideas for the security tag inventions that have earned him four patents. After hearing one of his father’s clients grumble about the high cost of security tags needed to prevent shoplifting at retail stores, Brandon developed a replica tag made that looks identical to a real one – at one-sixteenth the cost. Turns out, the replica tags deter theft as much as the real ones.
Since his first tag, Brandon has expanded his innovation to create the Golf Club Tag, Milli XD (for apparel) and the Rod and Reel Tag. Major retailers are using his tags.
After hearing of hundreds of children in a small village in Zambia, Africa, who walked a long way to school, Brandon developed the foundation’s Adopt-A-Bike program, which sent bicycles to those children. Since then, the Foundation has surprised underprivileged children in 10 states with bikes. He hopes to expand the program to all 50 states by the end of this decade.
The USS Foundation currently runs a total of six programs and helps similar foundations achieve their goals. In addition to the bike program, the Foundation runs the Charity Golf Tournament, Thanksgiving Care-a-Van, Feed the Homeless, Casa Colina, and the Merry-a-Thon. Each program works to improve the lives of underprivileged families and children nationwide.
Brandon and his three siblings have taken up leadership of the Foundation to help change lives. He and sister Nichole, 17, work together as the Foundation’s president and vice president, respectively. Their 16-year-old sister Nadeline serves as secretary, while brother Mathew, age 14, is the children’s ambassador.
After visiting many campuses across the country – including Harvard and Yale universities – Brandon was most impressed with Gonzaga. He is especially excited about Gonzaga’s strong sense of community and easy access to professors.
“The campus and atmosphere were unlike anything that any other college was able to give me,” Brandon said. “The feel of Gonzaga was different yet strangely similar to my high school, which had the perfect mix between faith, family, and fun.”
Brandon is enjoying the Gonzaga community, learning about business, and making friends and memories.
Classes began Sept. 1 for Brandon and all Gonzaga undergraduates.