By Brendan Mortensen SYRACUSE N.Y. (NCC News) — Andrew Benbenek is a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism major in the InclusiveU program. More specifically, he’s the broadcast and digital journalism major in InclusiveU program. He’s the first and only one to ever have that major.
His student support coordinator, Sam Roux, said that it took a lot of convincing to get Benbenek into those Newhouse classes. “As you know, Newhouse is a pretty good school,” Roux joked. Roux had to convince the professors that Benbenek could handle the work load. Benbenek rose to the challenge, and then some.
Benbenek not only handles the work load that comes with being a BDJ major, but he is also a member of CitrusTV, Z89 and OttoTHON. Through Citrus and Z, Benbenek is following his passions for sports production and writing.
But perhaps the most impactful organization that Benbenek is a part of is OttoTHON. In 3rd grade, Benbenek was diagnosed and treated for brain cancer at Upstate Galisano Children’s Hospital. Now cured and excelling at Syracuse, he hopes that other kids at Upstate can do the same.
Benbenek has been the top fundraiser for OttoTHON for two years in a row. Last year, the organization raised over 190,000 dollars for the hospital. When seeing the renovations, Benbenek commented that “it looks like a totally different place.”
Countless members of the Syracuse community continue to be inspired by all that Benbenek has done, including Alyssa Sullivan, a senior at SU and former External Director of OttoTHON. She said that “it’s so inspiring to see him so active in the community, and to see him help kids who are now in the position that he was in.”
Benbenek says that he hopes to inspire one of the young kids that are being helped by OttoTHON to one day be in his position as the InclusiveU representative for the organization.
