About Benjamin
Education Outreach
I'm passionate about spreading education opportunities to under-resourced communities. My hometown (Lexington, Nebraska) is a rural community characterized by a predominantly Hispanic population. While the immigrant community creates a vibrant and diverse rural town, extracurricular educational opportunities were not easy to come by. I benefitted from the opportunity to particpate in MITES (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science) the summer before my senior year of high school. This prorgam introduced me to advanced mathematics, physics, and chemistry within a college atmosphere. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by peers rfrom similar backgrounds with a passion and curiosity for science. The experience catapulted my academic journey, and I have sought to give back to the program since.
Assistant instructor for Global Teaching Labs: Robotics, Tech Projects, and 3D Design in Barcelona, Spain. Jan 4-Feb 4-2022
Engineering Design Teaching Assistant for MITES Saturdays (formally SEED) in Cambridge, MA. September - December 2022
Project Mentor for Women's Technology Program in Cambridge, MA. July 2022
Online Facilitator for MITES Semester (formally MOSTEC). Remote. June 2021- January 2022
Online Teaching Assistant for MIT X Guangjua: Introduction to Game Design. Remote. June 2021- August 2021.
Weight Training
To me, the weight room is simply another classroom, except the desks are replaced by squat racks, the pencils are substituted for barbells, and, for better or for worse, it is socially acceptable to sweat profusely. Aside from the differences in scenery and civil standards, I consider the gym and the classroom to be one and the same.
Weightlifting and education embody the fervor I possess for overcoming obstacles. Both matters continuously enable me to push my limits. Weightlifting has enchanted me with the notion that there will always be more weight, more disadvantages, which I can place against myself and eventually overcome. With education, my mentality is identical. Disadvantages, however, take the form of vulnerability when I enroll in a new subject or explore a novel idea. It's this mindset which prompts me to venture out and seek "heavier weight” for my education in the form of literature, docu-series, and increasingly difficult courses.
Camp Kesem
I am a member of the MIT Camp Kesem Chapter.
Camp Kesem is a nationwide nonprofit organization that provides free summer camps for children whose parents have been affected by cancer. The camps aim to offer support, build a supportive community, and create a positive and empowering experience for the kids facing the challenges of a parent's cancer journey.
Camp Kesem is an organization that is close to my heart. I have endured the pain and worry that comes with having a parent afflicted with frequent hospital visits and medical procedures. I have supported and comforted my younger siblings while in hospital rooms. The bonds Camp Kesem fosters among campers is unbreakable and unlike anything I've ever seen before. Campers arrive from all walks of life but by the end of camp, everyone is one big loving family. Please consider donating to our camp Kesem Chapter.
My Coffee Addiction: A Poem
coffee tastes best sipped soon after it is poured from the pot,
when shared somewhere in comforting chairs
it is the remedy to split hairs and crocodile tears,
I drink it after uncontrolled yawns and commonly at dawn,
I drink when it’s cold, depressing, and disgusting outside
because things look up after two or three cups,
the sky seems two shades brighter
and gone are the effects of my allnighter,
I swear it’s not an addiction
I’ll quit when I decide,
but why place a restriction
on something I can confide,
it sounds like a contradiction
to so passionately deny dependency,
but I sip and chug not for caffeine,
not to make up for a deficiency,
but because I cherish those moments brief
when Mom and I sit around the kitchen table
and put pause on both our daily grinds
to enjoy a different type of daily grind
together, we sit in utter tranquility,
enveloped, by the earthy aroma,
standing still, in life’s cynical unpredictability,
suspended, in the embrace of a toasty hazelnut brew
she enjoys her cup sweet and mild,
a caramelly, syrup-like, mellow, silky flavor,
I prefer mine bitter and smoky,
somewhat of an alkaline tang
to compliment the day
I hope I’ve made it evident,
the source of my sentiment,
a quote pops into existence
during my series of rants and pontificates,
“Café ayuda a quien duerme poco pero sueña mucho,”
Coffee helps those who sleep little but dream lots,
and I have never really woken up.