Lion Benton has recently earned a national scholarship from ROTC for $103,848. He plans on going to Howard University in Washington, D.C. and majoring in architecture. After college, he has to serve a minimum of four years in the military. 

Benton strives to follow in his family’s footsteps and use the military to aid him in his studies. With his grandpa, uncle, and father all being in the military, he has quite a few people to look up to. One of the most influential people in his life has been his grandpa. 

Benton said his grandfather did not have an easy childhood and grew up in segregated schools in Louisiana.

“He was just a really smart, smart dude,” Benton said. “His grades were good enough, so he applied to the air force academy and got in, which is an insanely difficult thing to do. Then from there, he went to the military for a while, which paid for his law school. From then he became a federal judge, and now he just owns his own firm.”

But his family isn’t his only drive, it’s also his past experiences. Benton has been traveling for most of his life due to his military dad, which led him to many different places around the world. One of those places being in Africa, which left a major impact on his life.

“To see their life and to look at mine made me realize how blessed I am, and how lucky I am to be where I am,” Benton said. “It’s just that I need to take full advantage of my situation. If any of these kids have it, they’d be so grateful and they would take care of it, so for me, it’s like I would have all this opportunity and I wouldn’t want it to go to waste.”

He plans on attending Howard for five years to get his masters and go directly into the Army.

“I’m obligated to do four years and I don’t know if I’ll continue after that,” Benton said. “I might get out after 4 years and do basic architecture stuff, or I can stay in for 21 years until I retire and that’s half your paycheck for the rest of your life.”

As Benton continues his studies, he keeps his grandpa in mind to keep him inspired.

“To see him still be so humble, it’s inspiring,” Benton said. “I want to become that person and make him proud.”