Name: Edward Benton
Year: Senior
Majors/Minors: Math Major
Hometown: Warrenton, VA. It’s like the bottom of NoVA. As soon as you get to Manassas it stops being fun.
“Alright Eddie, you know you’re pretty popular on campus with all you do, so what all do you do on campus?”
“Hahaha. Oh wow. Well, when I got here, I guess I met the right people. I played basketball a lot, and I went to sporting events all the time since Freshmen year is so easy. People saw me around a lot, too, because I was in Blue Crew when that was an actual thing. I’m talking, like, the classic Blue Crew. Then I joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated-“
“I like that you had to say the entire name.”
“You have to say the whole thing, otherwise it doesn’t count.” *laughs* “Anyways, my Junior year I became an Ambassador, so you saw me around a lot more. I also dress pretty well. I make it a point to dress well more for myself than for other people, so that gets me noticed pretty often. I’m also in the National Society of Black Engineers, Entrepreneurs Club, and Math Club.”
“How do you feel about the next steps coming in your life?”
“Oh man, I’m so excited. I am staying an extra year because I fucked around a little too much my Freshman year, but it’s great because I can ease my way into adulthood more. I want to get a provisional license for teaching high school math somewhere. I’m really excited to be in an environment where I can be that fun and encouraging math teacher that teaches kids to believe in themselves. A lot of people have a hard time facing that obstacle of believing they can succeed. Math teaches you how to use the same concepts in a world of things. It’s dope. And I can’t wait to be a part of that. Following that, I’m gonna see if I can get my high school to pay for grad school. One step at a time, though. Step 10 is to make a few million dollars, ha.”
“That’s amazing. So what is it that drives you? Why do you feel so passionately about this, and all things you do?”
“This is going to sound a little crazy, but here’s my vision. My goal for myself is to change the world. My direct path is education. I want to change the framework of education for the rest of the world. Have you ever heard of any Egyptian Philosophy?”
“I have not.”
“Well, I read a lot. A ton. I was reading about this thing where the Egyptians believed they could become God-Like. Not like turning water into wine or raining plagues, but they believed God was a cosmic energy that we all have inside of us. If we strive to be the best selves we can be, you could become God-Like. You not only trained in Rhetoric, but you were bred to be the best person you could possibly be.”
“So you want to be a God?”
“Yes. I have a Jesus Complex. I look at the Bible as a narrative. I don’t think he really did all that, but he tried to. That’s the lesson. Jesus is a perfect image. We shouldn’t worship him, but try and be like him every day. At the end of it all, you might die, but you’ll come back in the memories you left behind.”
“What’s your guilty pleasure?”
“When I was a kid, I hung out with my Mom a lot. She drove me everywhere, and I’d go grocery shopping with her all the time so she’d have company. My mom would talk to me for hours in the car and I’d just listen. Her voice is so soothing to me. My guilty pleasure is listening to the sound of a woman’s voice. I love the sound of a female talking. Women are so powerful. I’m not a feminist, but I love women.”
“You’re not a feminist?”
“I do believe that women are not equal politically or economically, but I think women have more power than men do socially. Historically, every King, Emperor, Ruler was surrounded by beautiful women. They didn’t surround themselves with a bunch of men; they’d have maybe one right-hand man and then women everywhere. There’s something very alluring about a woman’s presence. It influences the minds of men. Think about the crazy shit that’s happened over a woman: The Trojan War, The Clinton Scandal, etc. It’s crazy to think what a man will do for a woman’s affection. I think women just aren’t able to see their power due to the system we have put in place in our society. It’s similar to slavery educationally, socially, politically: women are held back by their ‘masters’ in a sense. They’re trapped by the social constructs we have even though they’re truly powerful.”
“If you had to redo your college experience, what’s one thing would you change?”
“If the readers of this article have read this far, they’re going to think I’m making this up. This is going to sound fake as fuck, but it’s not. This is kind of personal, but there was a very special someone I started talking to towards the end of my Freshman year. Eventually, it came to that critical moment where we had to decide what we were. She was super down to be with me, and she was so amazing. She saw things in myself I didn’t see for years. But…I was legit young and dumb. She said to me ‘I need you to be a man. I can’t have a boy or a child. I need a man.’ I couldn’t conquer my fears, so we drifted apart. I saw her just now this morning, too. I see her, and I think ‘This is actually the girl that got away.’ Even if we tried to get back together, too much time has gone by now that it wouldn’t be the same. If I could change anything, I would’ve committed to that relationship, because it would’ve been so beautiful.”