The Value of Yes

Ben Kaufman ’16

Life is an adventure for economics and political science double major Ben Kaufman ’16. The son of reporters who took him across the globe in pursuit of a story, Ben has inherited a journalist's friendliness, curiosity and zest for adventure. At Dickinson, he’s a student-musician, Student Senate member and tour guide who studied abroad in Italy last year. (If you visit campus, you can hear about it during one of his tours.)

Majors: 

Economics and political science.

Clubs and organizations:

Liberty Cap Society (tour guides), Student Senate (director of financial strategy), College Orchestra and Jazz Band.

Honors/scholarships/awards:

Marco Biagi Award for Study Abroad in Bologna, Italy.

Favorite book:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This story about adventure and survival in the face of all odds combines with just the right amount of humor. Each time I pick it up to read it, I get engrossed all over again.

Favorite movie:

The Bourne Supremacy, mainly because I love Matt Damon.

On choosing a major:

I was always interested in political science, but I hadn’t thought about economics until I came to Dickinson. I took Introduction to Microeconomics my first semester and thought it was the most interesting thing ever. I was always good at math and passionate about politics, and economics combines these subjects in an incredibly fascinating way.

Favorite place on campus:

The front desk in admissions. There is such a cool mix of people coming in and out of the admissions house all the time. Whether you are seeing a fellow tour guide or meeting a new prospective family, there are always the great conversations.

Favorite Dining Hall food:

Sriracha chicken.

Favorite class:

Marginalization and Representation, which looked at the presence, or lack thereof, of minority groups in important parts of society, such as in politics or education. The readings and in-class conversations stretched my ideas about inequality and marginalization in the United States. I came away from that class with a completely different view of my life, Dickinson, the United States and the world. It was one of those classes where the full impact and understanding of what you’re learning is felt for years.

As a kid, I wanted to be …

… an airplane pilot. I still haven’t fully given up on that dream. Every once in a while I will look up flight schools nearby and think about how fun it would be to fly planes all over the world.

On studying abroad:

I spent my junior year abroad through the Dickinson program in Bologna, Italy. The best part of studying abroad were the opportunities I had to explore other cultures and countries throughout Europe and beyond. Talking to people in other countries also helped to shape my education at Dickinson. Economic and political issues in the United States are similar to those in Europe, and being able to hear from people in Europe about how they approached these problems and how they viewed the United States was incredibly informative. Speaking to people in Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland and Turkey about their different approaches to problems helped shape my ideas.

Favorite professor:

Professor [of Political Science Russell] Bova has been one of the biggest influences in my life at Dickinson. He started off as my First-Year Seminar professor, and he has been my go-to person at Dickinson all the way through last year, when he was abroad in Bologna with me as the Dickinson professor on the ground in Italy. He has taught me—in classrooms in Denny Hall and in restaurants in Bologna and town squares in Poland—about people and life in ways that I will never forget. 

If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be …

My grandmother. I would love to have sat down with her to talk about her life before she had dementia. She was born in Harlem but grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, before moving back to the U.S. when she was 21. She had truly incredible life experiences, including suing the bank for which she worked for discrimination against women. Being able to have a full conversation with her about her life and all that she had experienced would be amazing.

Biggest influence:

My parents. They took me all over the world as part of their work as reporters and instilled in me a sense of adventure that has shaped almost every decision I have ever made.

Most important thing I’ve learned (so far):

To always be adventurous. To say “yes” to the many opportunities that come to you. There are always excuses to not get involved in something. But it is when you say “Yeah, sure, I’ll be a tour guide,” or “Yeah, let’s go to Istanbul this weekend,” that the truly great and memorable experiences happen. Someone once told me that 80 percent of life is just showing up, and I’ve found that if you say “yes” and show up, you will have the most amazing experiences of your life.

Learn more

• Tour Guides
• Study Abroad
• Department of Economics
• Department of Political Science
• Student Leadership
• More Student Snapshots
• Latest News

Published October 16, 2015