Having grown up tinkering with circuit boards, by high school Ben had fabricated and sold a series of chips for modifying audio hardware. Paired with his deep involved within robotics teams, he began his studies pursuing a degree in micro-electronic engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology.A year isolation of underground clean rooms and labs, Ben wanted to explore burgeoning technologies from the reporting side. While pivoting to a degree in journalism + web design at the New School, Ben became fascinated with creating software tools to aid in coverage stories. Here he practiced API integration, database management/visualization, interactive/responsive web design along with more traditional experience in communication, editing, reporting, and writing.Following graduation Ben worked in publishing for print and web. In the time since Covid, Ben has honed his managerial and team leading skills within two local and thriving small businesses. Working closely with the owners has allowed Ben increase his perspective and more effectively leverage employees and tools.Ben is especially proud of the work he has done as a crisis councilor: working to become more conscious of the language he uses, he has found many of those skills particularly applicable with clients and inside the workplace.