Ben the Broadcast Genius

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You may know Ben Preston from his involvement in Dodger Media Online, but one day you’ll know him as the face of CNN. As the editor of Dodger Media Online, it is no secret that Ben has a deep affinity for journalism. His passion for journalism stems from his love for storytelling through videos and writing, and explains the process as “just fun.” Ben explained to us that the process of reporting through the media is not only something he is interested in, but something he thoroughly enjoys. Besides his rigorous participation in high school journalism, his passion goes far beyond Madison High School walls. His sister, Sarah Kate Preston, noted that “he never stops talking about it…”, and Ben has shared with us that he plans on pursuing journalism in college next fall. He hopes to attend colleges such as Northeastern, George Washington, Syracuse, or other city schools, because it is “where journalism is.”

As important as journalism is to Ben, it is not his only priority. He spends much of his time with friends and family, and even participates in the school marching band. Ben is a passionate musician who has developed an interest for percussion instruments, which led him to his role in the drum line of the marching dodgers. Music has always been an important part of Ben’s life, as he has always been interested in it. This led him to take classes such as AP Music Theory. Other classes that have become interesting to Ben, besides Broadcast Journalism, include AP Human Geography. Ben related this class to his love of journalism because of the “international and geopolitical” aspects. But his top priority will always be his family. 

Ben has a mom, a dad, two sisters, and a dog. His older sister is currently a freshman at the liberal arts college, Kenyon, in Gambier, Ohio, and the other is a sophomore at Madison High School. His family has lived in Madison his whole life, and they are a very close knit clan. The Preston family takes an annual vacation to Maine to visit their grandparents. This tradition has continued for years and even continued throughout quarantine. 

Ben has similar relationships with his friends. He keeps a close knit group of friends, and they are very important to him.

With all of these many interests, Ben must be driven by something. He ties it back to his passions from before, explaining that being truly passionate about something and “having a final product for something” pushes him to succeed and keep working. When it comes to journalism, it almost doesn’t seem like work to Ben because it is something he genuinely enjoys doing, so the work just does itself.

When asked what makes him happy, Ben couldn’t give a specific answer other than “whatever I am truly passionate about makes me happy”. His family, friends, music, and journalism are all prominent parts of his life and are key components of who he is as a person.