Ben Beaulieu ’24 has made his mark, only one semester into his Merrimack journey. He arrived in August as the vice president of Rebel Media Group LLC, and just this month was elected as a selectman for the town of Merrimac, Massachusetts. Ben’s extensive experience with radio on and off-campus has prepared him to pursue his bachelor’s in communication and media, as he spends his free time working for his hometown. We sat down with Ben recently to discuss all his latest accomplishments, his time at Merrimack so far, and what advice he has for fellow students.
DAN ROUSSEL: Ben, congratulations on becoming a selectman for Merrimac! That’s a huge deal. And we’re so glad you decided to chat with us about it! Why did you decide to run for office, and at such a young age?
BEN BEAULIEU: Running for office has been something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. My dad tells me stories of when I was young, and I wanted to be the “mayor of Merrimac.” Learning later that there wasn’t a mayor but a board of selectmen, I set my heart on that. Amongst five candidates, we won 35% of the vote … almost 700-plus more votes than the second place candidate.
It’s really inspiring to hear you’ve accomplished this life-long dream. And congrats again on that landslide victory! What will you be doing a selectman? What do you hope to accomplish?
I will essentially be running the town, along with the other board members. I hope to bring commercial businesses into town that will help offset the amount of tax dollars spent on necessities in town.
In your spare time, you’re also the vice-president of Rebel Media Group LLC! That’s an insane accomplishment, once again; how did you come into this position?
I have been running my own digital radio station since 2012, and this past February in quarantine, a few long-time friends and I came together and drafted paperwork to file an LLC. We all work virtually throughout the country, and we have approximately 15 employees from web developers, graphic designers, and programmers.
You’ve got a lot of hustle. Has Merrimack helped with that at all? With your first semester almost finished, what skills do you have, and what do you want to keep working on?
So far with my First Year Experience class, we visited the O’Brien Center and learned about setting up LinkedIn accounts.
I have brought the skills of time management, communication, computer knowledge and leadership to my positions. At Merrimack, I’m looking to further these skills and to pursue opportunities that are presented to me.
There’s always plenty of opportunities here! I’m sure you’ll keep doing great work. As we wrap up, what advice do you have for fellow students?
For other students, my advice is to not let your age define you. The stereotype that teens and early-twenties aged people need to learn throughout college to become successful is not true. For example, during my campaign, the issue of my age came up frequently. But, having made the personal connections I made in town over the years, they had my back; they knew I could do the job. If you work hard enough, you can do it. It sounds very cliche, but I took that and made it my own.
You’re the success story of your own advice! Ben, thanks for joining us, and congratulations again on this big accomplishment. We can’t wait to see what you do next!
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