Ben was born in the city of Winston-Salem (The Dash), North Carolina, where he attended elementary, middle, and high-school....

Ben was born in the city of Winston-Salem (The Dash), North Carolina, where he attended elementary, middle, and high-school. He attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he earned a double-major in International Studies and Mandarin Chinese Language. Ben first earned an appreciation for all things international at the age of fourteen when he traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, on a business trip with his father. Ben has since volunteered abroad in Otavalo, Ecuador, studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain, and spent extensive time traveling, studying, and working in China. Ben worked at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a translator and transportation manager for OMEGA Watches, the Official Timekeepers of the Olympic Games. Ben now spends his time traveling internationally, and plans to attend graduate school for International Business and Foreign Policy Studies.