About Me
My name is Ben Swedberg (he/him). I’m excited to be studying in Copenhagen and excited to share my journey with you. Keep scrolling to learn a little bit more about me!
Childhood
I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I come from a family of four: two parents and a younger sister (who doubles as a best friend). Over my 18 pre-college years, I enjoyed playing tennis, acting in musicals, performing on my high school’s improv team, and Wendy’s 4-for-4 meal.
During the summer, I worked in the kitchen and as a counselor at Camp Roger. I found a passion for working with children and a strong community there — it was so fun for my sister Lucy and me to join the staff after eight summers as campers!
During the school year, most of my time was spent competing as an impromptu speaker for my high school’s forensics team. The lessons I learned, skills I honed, and friends I made through this activity have stayed with me ever since!
College Life
After high school, I chose Northwestern University. I tell most people I liked the academic flexibility, but I think the truth is that I got nervous about leaving home and it was the closest school. It’s funny to think how far I’ve come, looking ahead to a semester eight time zones away!
After two years of exploring my various interests at Northwestern, I settled on Political Science and Computer Science. I started getting really excited about the intersection of those two — either using my programming skills in the public sector or crafting informed tech policy. As I understood how those fields could inform each other, I was increasingly drawn to urban planning. That’s now where my academic life is pointing me!
I made sure to stay busy outside of the classroom. My school years have been dominated by mock trial, an activity that let me continue to hone my public speaking skills with the added challenge of trial advocacy and legal reasoning. This is where I’ve found the most joy and the best friends of my life.
I also joined the executive board of Arts Alliance, Northwestern’s oldest theatre board, and the Distinguished Secondary Teachers’ Association, which gives awards to Northwestern undergrad-nominated high school teachers.
