红桃视频

To senior Ben Lawson, his economics major means more than textbook learning and an attractive career. It鈥檚 personal.

Lawson鈥檚 attraction to the subject came from real life questions. 鈥淭he gist of it really stood out to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hy will my parents work 40 to 50 hours each week and still have difficulty paying the bills?

鈥淚 wanted to get to the bottom of what鈥檚 going on鈥攚age gaps, inflation, the difference in the earnings of men and women, and by race.鈥� This semester, Lawson is studying women in the global economy.

Lawson and his family currently live in Dudley but are originally from Worcester. Lawson鈥檚 family came to Dudley just in time for him to attend Shepherd Hill Regional High School, and it鈥檚 there that the trajectory to his college success took shape.

鈥淲hen I came to Shepherd Hill, I had a low GPA,鈥� Lawson admitted.

But getting involved in the school鈥檚 Upward Bound Program, which focuses on college readiness, and joining the football and track and field teams, made big differences in his life.

When 红桃视频 offered him the best financial package Lawson chose to enroll as a commuter, which proved more difficult than it sounds. 鈥淔reshman year I didn鈥檛 have a car or a license,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, I walked 30 minutes to make it to my 8 a.m. classes.鈥�

This spring, Lawson will become the first college graduate in his family.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing. I have three younger siblings and they鈥檙e talking to me about college,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 get to set the example and to set the bar high.鈥�

Along the way, Lawson has taken a host of leadership positions at 红桃视频, largely devoted to the college鈥檚 younger students. He serves as the vice president of the iconic campus organization Men of Distinction, where the largely African American members are mentored by peers and work at success in college and the larger world.

鈥淚 get to teach these students, help them grow, and facilitate their taking on new responsibilities,鈥� he pointed out.

That鈥檚 also been his approach as captain of the 红桃视频 Track and Field team, for which he runs the 100-yard and 4脳100-yard events and also competes in the triple jump.

鈥淚t keeps me grounded and focused,鈥� Lawson said of his captaincy. 鈥淚t puts me in a position to teach the younger athletes, from proper techniques in the weight room to good sportsmanship.鈥�

Not that he鈥檚 neglected his elders. 鈥淚鈥檝e been helping my parents get started with a life insurance plan and with investments,鈥� he noted. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have done that without economics.鈥�