my TWLOHA Intern Intro
December 28, 2015
Ben Tichenor
T-shirt size: Large
My name is Ben Tichenor. You can call me Ben or Benny, or really whatever is good. Let’s start with this: I’m a bit scared. I am excited, but I am nervous. I can hardly believe I have been selected to participate in this spring’s TWLOHA internship program. I have been following TWLOHA since, I think, around late 2007 (when was Anberlin’s Cities tour?). I really am looking forward to learning and growing (as a professional, and as a person), but to be honest, I am worried I will not contribute enough. I just know that it takes me a long time to get used to people and places, and I am afraid that by the time I start getting comfortable with the people and things surrounding me, it will be April. Let’s transition from fears to dreams: I heard once that if a dream does not scare you, it may not be big enough. I suppose there is truth to that. I am sure there can also be small (not insignificant) dreams, but really, aren’t dreams meant to be big? Recently I got to achieve a dream I have had about going to school in Florida, and studying music. Both of these things started sneaking their way into my mind in middle school. This December, I graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University, in West Palm Beach, Florida, with a BA in Popular Music, and a minor in Communication. Before that, I attended Erie Community College in western New York for two years, earning an AS degree. I graduated from high school in 2010.
The things that TWLOHA talks about are things that resonate within me. I was, and am, attracted to the honesty, the willingness to speak when others back away and the willingness to be gentle and compassionate when others may be coming on too strong. TWLOHA and music being two of my favorite things, I like that TWLOHA has a presence in the music community. I believe that the music community needs more voices offering hope and help. I also like books, and I really like movies (Pixar, Spielberg, Nolan are some of my favorites). I think I can attribute my interest in so many different mediums to my fascination with stories – another connection with TWLOHA.
Some other quick things: I chew lots of gum (but I cannot blow a bubble), I write in ALL CAPS, I like film music and concert photography – I love how one artistic medium can enhance another. I have an older brother (Aaron, 25) and a younger sister (Bridget, 21) and I live with my parents in Williamsville, New York, in the same house that we’ve always lived in. I like Halloween and Christmas a lot. I enjoy playing music in the band at the church that I have been attending since I was a (younger) kid. I’m kind of an old man: I have terrible knees, loud noises startle me and I am usually in bed by 11:00pm. I like Despicable Me and Parks & Recreation and Harry Potter, Sudoku puzzles and volleyball and dark chocolate.
I am looking forward to learning from and contributing to TWLOHA this spring!