Hector Benjamin's Journey to Clark Atlanta University
Image by: Hector Benjamin
New Brunswick, New Jersey is home to a little over 50,000 residents, and of those a Black male entrepreneur, Hector Benjamin has plans to put Brunswick & all of the cities he moved too as a kid, through several entertainment & arts ventures. A senior Mass Media major at Clark Atlanta University, Benjamin dreams are to own a radio show and to become a music producer. He plans to dive deeper into how the human mind operates by doing so. Having found an interest to attend Clark Atlanta University led him to pursue higher education there. An while he planned to get a degree in Criminal Justice, when he arrived at the school’s Mass Media Arts Department, everything changed.
Benjamin had a journey getting into CAU and finding what he really wanted to do in life. In Benjamin’s early years growing up he moved with his 4 siblings from different states due to the nature of father’s work. He always got along with his 4 sisters’ but did not enjoy moving throughout the years. While he loves his 4 sisters when it came time to move, he did not like helping them. “It’s funny…” Benjamin reflected, - “Because I was a packing mule the entire time. It was cool, but it was like a long periodical workout it was not bad though,” His dad after a couple years found a stable job in New Jersey which led to Benjamin growing up there for most of his life.
When Benjamin finally found a home in New Jersey he always thought he was going to attend Rutgers University. He always saw himself going there. Clark was not Benjamin’s first choice. He got accepted into several colleges throughout the country, “My dream school was Rutgers in New Jersey because that’s all I had seen at the time,” said Benjamin.” He wanted to attend Rutgers due to it being close to home. Benjamin went on to talk about how his sister attended CAU for undergraduate and graduate school. “I used to be with my sister going to her classes helping her with some of her work and her friends would always say I should go to Clark,” Benjamin shared. After Benjamin heard this from his sister’s friends, he declined those offers from other colleges and went to Clark.
Benjamin’s role model was his grandmother because of how strong and intelligent she was. “You do not have to look at things that put you down to be the end all be all”, Benjamin exclaimed as he reflected on his grandmother’s advice. “There are all always obstacles that you must have to overcome and adapt to them”. He enjoyed talking to both of his grandparents, but his grandmother played an important role in what he wanted to do in life by the advice she gave him. Benjamin took what she said and knew that the sky’s the limit to anything he wants to do in life.
Benjamin was trying to figure out what career path he wanted to pursue at first. His first major at CAU was criminal justice due to a strong family background in law enforcement. He had a minor in sociology as well. He had always been interested in the psychological ways of how the human mind operates. “I found a love for entertainment and audio engineering by making beats for songs in the Mass Media Department.” Benjamin says. He eventually grew out of criminal justice and developed a strong interest in Mass Media. His interest in entertainment, radio, and audio engineering grew more as he explored more of the field of Mass Media.
In Benjamin’s leisure time he always likes to play video games. “My favorite video game back in the day was street football seeing the Tampa Buccaneer’s logo with the pirate flag with the sword going across that’s cool. Always was a big fan but never watched the sport,” said Benjamin. His favorite system to play video games on is the PlayStation. He enjoys playing football, basketball, and other sports games on the PlayStation. He sometimes plays with his friends to see who is better at the game.
Benjamin attending Clark Atlanta University was the best decision he ever made. It led him pursue a higher education there and while he did not know what he wanted to major in his interest in entertainment, radio, and audio engineering brought his academic focus in the school’s Mass Media Arts Department. It was then that he came into his own. Came into his own by identifying and embracing his new career paths to become a music producer, have his own radio show, and be able to give back to his community. Benjamin wants to be a person that the youth, or anybody that needs help getting to where they want to go in life, - can go to enhance their skills and ideas.
