Ben, a recent high school graduate from Brewster High School and 2013 SYF Community Scholarship winner from Jefferson Valley Mall, reminds us that the work we do really does help dreams become reality. As he shared in a letter to us: “When I am writing scores for films in Kyoto, Japan, 10 years from now, I will look back with great appreciation to the Mall Management Team. You helped realize my dream and the dreams of so many others.”
Growing up, Ben watched his parents change career paths from artists to entrepreneurs. But their “non-tangential path” of starting a small CPR education company led to financial troubles. Ben recalls a time when their family bank account fell to $40. His aunt, Meg, described Ben’s childhood as ‘growing up with a looming peril always over his head.’ Not to be discouraged, the family overcame their trials and tribulations with hard work, dedication and a commitment to succeed. Ben credits his own strong ethics to those he learned from his parents.
In school, Ben flourished academically, artistically and socially. In addition to focusing on his classwork, Ben focused on performing arts extracurricular activities: chorus, theatre, marching band, orchestra and National Honors Society. As the only male member and captain of the Brewster High School marching band, Ben led the band through the streets of Dublin, Ireland, in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. He also received a leadership award from the Gay Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a national organization, for his work as president of the Gay Straight Alliance in his high school.
In his junior year, Ben discovered an interest in music theory. Combining music theory with his love of Anime, Japanese animation that often covers more serious topics than the typical animation, Ben visualized his goal to compose music for Anime. For that past year, he has worked on his portfolio and has created three original scores for a variety of instruments. He has plans to master the Japanese language so he can create musical scores in Japanese.
With the scholarship money he received from Simon Youth Foundation, Ben will attend Bard College, a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
“Without your generous scholarship, I would not be able to attend Bard,” shared Ben. “It was you, those of the Simon Youth Foundation Scholarship Board of Directors, who recognized and supported my endeavors to create music and master the Japanese language.”
SYF’s message to Ben: 幸運 (kouun, pronounced "koh-oon") = good luck!
Igniting hope for 15 years, Simon Youth Foundation has dispersed more than $10 million in scholarships and graduated more than 10,000 at-risk students in Simon Youth Academies. Ben is one of the many deserving youth people who are able to pursue their dreams to attend college or another post-secondary institution with the help of SYF.
No comments:
Post a Comment