The following feature was written by the Millsaps College Office of Communications for www.mbench.org

"From the time I stepped on campus for my initial visit, it was evident that there was a common trend in the student experience—personal attention to every student's hopes and dreams."

More than seven years ago, Millsaps College made its first impression on Benton Brown, and the college's attention to student hopes and dreams is still felt in his professional life.

"Outside of my immediate family, Millsaps provided me the foundation for who I am today both professionally and spiritually," Brown said. "Millsaps provided me with both internal and external opportunities to challenge myself, and exposed me to challenges beyond my years. Through mentorship and the network that supported me, it increased both my career readiness and ability to push myself to exceed goals in front of me." 

Brown graduated in May 2017 with a degree in business administration, then remained on the Millsaps campus for an additional year to work as a Presidential Fellow and complete his MBA with a focus in marketing. The work and experience he gained on campus have been a catalyst in his quick rise through the ranks at the Educational Advisory Board (EAB), where he works as a partner development executive to help university presidents and vice presidents of enrollment map out custom solutions to achieve enrollment goals. Based in Richmond, Virginia, EAB works with more than 1,800 colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad to provide support in market research, technology and marketing.

While Brown earned a business degree, it was a religious studies class with former professor Dr. Shelli Poe that he cited as having the greatest impact on his academic career.

"She stretched us as a class to think outside of our individual perspectives, but personally she challenged me to be a better version of myself," said Brown. "After every paper she would meet with me for at least an hour to walk through her edits and help me to understand how to put a solid writing framework together. Investing that time into me so early in my Millsaps career was transformational."

Brown's discipline and focus wasn't just limited to the classroom, however. He made his own impact on the football field as a defensive back, where he led the team in passes broken up in two different seasons, made the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Academic Honor Roll in two season and earned All-SAA Honorable Mention in his senior year.  

"I learned so many valuable life lessons through each game, practice, and teammate I interacted with," he said. "The daily discipline that I approach my everyday work with carries over from the lessons and speeches that Coach Aaron Pelch taught us every single day for four years."  

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