Ask the Alumnus: Ben Root
SRL and Austin High School alumnus Ben Root has already accomplished what most adult journalists dream about – and he’s only a college freshman.
In March, Ben attended his second South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas. While there, he along with three other SRL alumni led a panel called Meet the Next Generation of Public Media Producers.
In his senior year of high school, Ben co-produced a story on Archer Hadley, a teen with cerebral palsy who held a wheelchair challenge that raised over $80,000 to install automatic push botton doors at the school. Not only did the story make it onto PBS NewsHour’s broadcast, the piece scored him an invite to the White House’s annual Student Film Festival.
When asked about his time with SRL, Ben says he has a lot to feel grateful for.
Video produced by Anita Wright/Student Reporting Labs. B-roll from videos produced by Ben Root.