About Benjamin

Benjamin (he/him) was born and raised in the north-east side of town, also known as district 2. As he worked his way through the local public school system (Rice, Taylor, Tommie Kunst, and Pioneer Valley), he learned the value of public and community service. The teachers there prepared him to think critically and engage with issues in this community. The people of Santa Maria as a whole showed him what it means to be there to support each other.

After high school, he studied city planning–how to design our environment and empower community to shape the city–while continuing his public education at UC Berkeley. This education shaped the way he understands the issues facing Santa Maria today.

Due to rising costs of living, Benjamin taught himself programming and pursued a career in software engineering. For the past 10 years, he has successfully worked his way through the industry. As he became a proven engineer, he was lucky enough to be able to choose where he would work. He chose Santa Maria.

Now, he is using the opportunities afforded to him by this community in service of this community.