Essential Ben: An Interview with an Essential Worker During COVID-19

I was paying for my groceries at a store in SoBro and had an unexpected conversation with my cashier Ben. We did the normal small talk but then our topic took a turn. Ben started talking to me about his passions, childhood, and future. After speaking to Ben, I felt even more of a connection with those who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a future. You never know where someone is on their journey. My conversation with Ben brightened my day. Here’s what I learned about him. 

Ben attends Ivy Tech and currently has straight A’s. He’s studying physics. He told me he’s not from Indiana but feels that he is a Hoosier now. Ben shared that after high school he got into a big college but wasn’t yet ready to be a student. He ended up flunking out of college and worried about what he would do next. He decided to enroll in Ivy Tech with plans to transfer to a four year college soon. Ben attributes his past academic missteps to a lack of passion. Now,  at 20 he’s found out what he is actually passionate about. 

He shared that when he was young he had a teacher that encouraged him to think outside the box and solve complex problems. He believes this is why he is now so interested in physics. Another thing that drew him to physics was the fact that in math you know that there is an answer. In liberal arts you could be going over an issue forever, but with math you know there’s an end.

Ben is thankful that he has a job because he knows many people who cannot work right now. He’s worried about the virus but knows that he has no choice but to work.  

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Be kind. Ask questions. You never know what kind of stories you’ll hear.