From rural Victoria to the Californian sun, future uncertainty to a successful US college pathway, Ben Campbell is building an impressive international college career for himself in America.
Since emerging onto the US college scene in 2015 at College of the Canyons in California, the talented golf athlete is improving in leaps and bounds in his sport.
Earlier this year, Ben led the Canyons men’s golf team to a second place finish at the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships.
Ben shot rounds of 71 and earnt individual medallist honours, finishing with a 2-under-par score of 142.
For a Victorian golfer who nearly abandoned hopes of pursuing a future in golf at 16 years of age, Ben’s decision to embrace a US college sport and education opportunity is one he is greatly appreciative of.
“I stopped playing because I thought my opportunities were quite limited because of where I lived. There was a lot of travel,” Ben said.
Then I got a letter in the mail from NSR so I thought it was a good idea to try it. It wasn’t something I had ever thought of, playing college golf.”
With rural Victoria an inadequate platform for future sporting opportunities, Ben followed a chance to pursue sport and education in one pathway at college in the US. This allowed his future uncertainties to be relieved by the inclusive and holistic nature of collegiate sport.
“I wasn’t even sure if I was going to go to university at home if I didn’t do this. When I decided to come over here it was completely opposite to where I thought I was going to head at the time,” Ben noted.
Where sport meets education
While golf is Ben’s primary focus and passion, education plays an integral role in his life and is vital to a prosperous college experience.
Studying Psychology after adjusting his course from Kinesiology, Ben is embracing all aspects of the college pathway in order to create a successful future for himself in either sport or work.
Ben’s impressive performance with his golf so far at College of the Canyons paves high expectations for future results, but this is just the beginning of Ben’s highlights so far in the US.
“I’ve won a college tournament, but the best thing about this experience is living with people from so many different cultures. I live in an apartment with four other guys on the golf team. There’s one other guy from Australia, two from England and one from France,” Ben said.
“Just getting to know other peoples’ cultures and living together is the best experience,” the grateful young athlete said.
It’s common for NSR athletes in US colleges to profess the value of the American college pathway, yet acknowledge the difficulties endured and the lessons learnt via the experience.
Ben credits the pathway he has embraced in his future for the personal skills and attributes he has gained as a young student and athlete in an international setting.
“Maturity plays a big role in this experience. Being independent is important. I hadn’t travelled outside of Australia before I left and I flew by myself,” he explained about the international experience.
As for his sport, Ben credits personal motivation rather than natural ability for his impressive results in golf so far in California.
“I’m a very competitive person. Hard work is more important than talent,” Ben noted.
With a full season still to come at College of the Canyons, Ben is being looked at by a selection of top schools for golf athletes for 2017 recruitment. While he has thoroughly enjoyed California, Ben is looking to explore his opportunities and expand his international experience on the East Coast of the US.
“The California weather is so good but I think I’d like to go out of state when I transfer to see more of the country and experience some different places. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most at the moment,” Ben said.
“Golf is the main focus but I think that meeting people and experiencing different cultures is probably the really fun part!”
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