Ben Smith ’24

Hello! My name is Benjamin ‘‘Ben’’ Smith, and I am a first-year flute performance major, who is also interested in exploring East Asian studies with a concentration in Korea. I grew up in Monroe, Georgia—a small town that is simultaneously a suburb of Atlanta yet still in the middle of nowhere—and have lived there my whole life. I love making music with others and tend to spend more time playing various arrangements of my favorite video game tracks and K-pop songs than advised (they’re tone warm-ups, I promise).

There is a very high probability you’ll find me in my dorm room at any given hour drinking instant coffee and listening to the Pokémon Diamond soundtrack for the millionth time through. When not in my natural habitat, though, I do taekwondo and have done so for 12 years. I am really keen on becoming involved with taekwondo here at Oberlin (post-pandemic), so we will see what happens.

I’m thrilled to be able to share a few stories with anyone who wishes to read them. On the off chance you see me outside my dorm, feel free to say hi! Running late is one of my biggest fears, so I usually have quite a few extra minutes to spend walking to class. I may still look stressed—like I am potentially running late—but do not be deceived! I probably just haven’t had enough coffee.

Photo of Ben with dog Yogi