Hey, this is Ben Koponen. I am a researcher, aspiring journalist, interviewer and political science graduate. My passion is to tell compelling stories.
My journey started in 2021, when I wrote and published an article about a personal racist encounter. The piece was personal, and I never would’ve guessed the response it received.
Dozens of people DM’d my instagram page; telling their stories, sharing the impact my story had on them, and looking to learn more. At that point there was no going back; I knew I wanted to use my curiosity to help people.
I was determined to practice journalistic story telling in service of this dream. Since then, I have investigated powerful lobbyists, hosted a radio show, interviewed activists, and written a short series about racial justice in the Deep South of the U.S.A..
What are people saying?
“It was a pleasure having Ben on our team at the John Adams Institute, where he was responsible for context and execution of our project website The New Anthology. He also joined us often at our public events with speakers from the US. He’s smart, dedicated and engaged with developments in today’s society. We were lucky to have him with us.”
- Tracy Metz, Director of The John Adams Institute and Journalist
“Ben’s work provided insights into how educational systems operate under different circumstances and highlighted areas of improvement…At one point he was the MC of our report presentation ceremonies and performed excellently.”
- Ramazan Ince, Co-founder and CEO of Broken Chalk
