Editor: Lisa Perkins
It is likely that you’ve read, or heard, interviews from Glen Hegar, Bill Flores, and Beto O’Rourke, but it is less likely that those dialogues were spearheaded by someone you know, let alone a high-school student. Believe it or not, Avant Garde - College Prep Services’ (AGP) very own Ben Crockett has created opportunities to speak one-on-one to each of these men.
While the typical high school student spent their endless lockdown hours engrossed in video games, sleeping, or frantically trying to master Zoom, Ben realized that, since everyone’s schedules had become wide open, he could create new opportunities to pursue his passions. “I don’t like news clips... I like books and old interviews, longer forms of conversations... Podcasts are great because they allow someone to explain what they think... it’s almost like a book in that you can get that richness of detail... podcasts are the book version of cable news,” explained Ben. With this in mind, Ben created the podcast “Be The People.” He states that he simply “wanted to keep doing what JSA did” and that the program Junior Statesmen of America inspired him to develop something novel to fill the gaps in public information within the political fields. A moment during Ben’s summer program at Georgetown provided the catalyst to the project, as Ben explains thinking, “Wow, there’s so much stuff that I don’t know”. Therefore, when the pandemic hit, Ben “figured there were people with clearer schedules” and it became a game of “how quickly could [he] schedule people?” The rest is history. Ben now has a platform for his voracious questioning, and is creating a network of people who have the answers. To date, Ben has interviewed Beto O’Rourke, Anthony Watson, Steve Coucalo, and many more on his podcast, and he shows no signs of stopping.
Ben Crockett is currently a senior at College Station High School, right here in the Brazos Valley. Ben has been a member of the CSHS Cross Country team and Student Council, as well as the school’s chapter President of Junior Statesmen of America. Ben hopes to build on his experiences in JSA by pursuing a career in politics. Currently, his plan is to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science before moving onto graduate work in Public Policy, or perhaps even a Juris Doctorate. Time will tell which path Ben chooses, though. While exceptionally focused and driven, Ben is admittedly more focused on the goal than the minutiae along the way. “I’m not a planner... I just don’t plan that far ahead; if I were a hammer, I’d be focusing on the next nail,” he claims. He may only be focused on the next nail, but he has proven that, for him at least, steady work and a willingness to engage in the next step gets the job done.
Ben began working with AGP at the recommendation of his older brother, Sam, who had already completed our ACT Prep Course, years prior. Ben believes that “because of AGP, I was able to achieve what I would consider a good score [on the ACT],” which helped him with his college prospects. In addition to completing our ACT Prep Course, Ben also participated in our Application & Essay Workshop, giving him that step up on the college entrance competition. Starting as a tenth grader, Ben began Private Consultations with AGP owner, Robb Jenson, to map out a summer plan. Robb helped Ben navigate possible summer camps, internships, and other opportunities over the years, including the class at Georgetown University that inspired Ben to create a JSA chapter at College Station High School. “Avant-Garde not only helped Ben with raising his ACT scores through his test preparation class, but also helped him identify areas that he was interested in!” explained Mrs. Crockett, Ben’s mother. We could not be more excited to congratulate Ben on his acceptances to both Texas A&M University and Baylor University, and will enroll at Texas A&M's Political Science department in Fall 2021.
When we asked Ben what advice he would give to current high school students, he responded, rather emphatically, to “start early”. We couldn’t agree with him more. At AGP, we are equipped to help students as early as 8th grade, and can continue providing services through their senior year of high school. While Ben recommends starting early, we want to assure prospective families that it is never too late to start with AGP. Ben notes that he found the ACT Prep Course especially helpful, stating, “...colleges look at your test scores, and if you have a good one, that will help you.” Simple, but true! Here at AGP, we offer test prep courses in SAT and ACT, Private Family Consultation Services, writing instruction (including College Application Essay assistance), and much more. To learn more, visit us at https://www.avantgardeprep.com or call us at 979.571.6872. We would be honored to help your student develop the perfect college prep plan for their needs. Contact us today!