For the past forty-two years, the Conference On National Affairs has impacted young lives around the nation, but the impact that this week has had on Benjamin Schiff is like none other. Although he has had a rough past, Ben Schiff is one of the most open people when sharing what he has been through. During free time on Wednesday, those that chose to climb to the summit of the mountain were fortunate enough to hear his story. However, he is willing to share with anyone on these mountains.
Ben Schiff was born in Utah. After he moved around frequently, he moved to Michigan when he was 7 years old. Never having met his father, the only father he ever knew was an abusive stepfather that married his mother when they first lived in Michigan. When he was 12 years old, he moved into a haven for abused families, but unfortunately, they were only allowed to stay for a month and then were forced to fend for themselves on the streets of Pontiac. The family did find an apartment to move into but after 6 months, they found themselves back on the streets.
Foster care was then the only option for Ben. “I moved about every week.” Schiff stated. “The thing about foster care is that you never really know for sure how long you will be in one place. I was fortunate to finally be with a family for one year, but I was taken away for a weekend and put back under the care of my mother.”
Ben’s world was suddenly in a frenzy once again. His mother was extradited to Texas because she had a warrant from 1988 for violating probation. “Everything finally started making sense. I realized that the reasons we had moved so much when I was younger was because she was always running from the law. She had been lying to me my entire life and everything I believed about her disappeared.” Ben, much to his dismay, was then put back into foster care.
Ben began living with his brother and was working long hours so that he could help split the rent with his brother, but his life was shattered when he received a notice in the mail that none of the bills were being paid. His brother was using all of the money that Ben had been contributing from his hours of labor, to pay for drugs and alcohol. Instead of staying in such a hostile environment, he moved in with a man that he was working with and they split everything 50-50. “It was a relatively nice place to stay because I knew I was in a stable environment. It was nothing like having a family, though. People are always saying ‘oh I hate my parents’ and such but what they don’t realize is what it is like to not have parents, and that your parents do so much for you.”
Ben worked long hours at a grocery store for two years and then in subcontracting where he did arbitrary maintenance for the city. When he was 16 he was legally emancipated by the state, which helped him greatly but he notes how “emancipated minors are not given certain rights that they truly deserve. There are these new laws that require someone to be 18, leaving the emancipated minors in the dust.
Ever since Ben was 15, he had wanted to enlist in the army. He figured that if there was someone fighting with a wife and kids, then he would much rather have himself fighting in their place. So, when he was 17 he enlisted and is now considered in the army reserve and is in active duty during the summer only. He is in the ROTC at Central Michigan University. “After that I will get my commission as an officer and serve the remainder of my twenty years so that I am able to retire early in life and hopefully start a political career.”
Ben, during his freshman and sophomore year of high school, was unable to afford the infamously expensive Youth In Government program, but was finally able to pay during his junior year after having worked so hard. He was then elected President of his school’s delegation during his senior year. Before Ben became president, the delegation only had around 6 members, but with his election, the number of participants increased to 17. “Youth In Government was such an amazing program and helped me so much in my life, that I wanted to return the favor.”
When he was offered the opportunity to apply for CONA, he jumped at the chance and was accepted. He is currently missing training for the army reserve back home just to be here and he conveyed how “ it is such a beautiful place. I love being able to completely disagree with someone during committee, but then come outside and give them a big hug. Here, I have a family, whereas back home, I don’t. So, it’s a real breath of fresh air just being here.” Ben would love to thank Brent, Gale, all the advisors, and all of the delegates at CONA for giving him the best experience and for changing his life.