Holding a 3.9 grade point average in the College of Business Administration, Rode is involved in Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Go-Getters, a business club.,”Ben Rode may be the most accomplished 23-year-old junior in Marquette history.

Holding a 3.9 grade point average in the College of Business Administration, Rode is involved in Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Go-Getters, a business club. He is also a member of Marquette's club lacrosse team and said he hopes to find work as a bartender at the Annex.

Being a 23-year-old junior is unusual enough, but the journey Rode took to get there is even less conventional.

In fall 2002, Rode was a freshman football player at Bethel College, a Christian school of about 6,000 in Arden Hills, Minn. At the time, Rode's parents were going through a divorce and he suffered from depression.

"Depression sucks," Rode said. "You don't feel like you. You feel like a part of you is missing."

Rode's grades suffered and he was forced to drop out of Bethel. He later found work at Rammy's Sub Contractors, a regional restaurant franchise in the northern Chicago suburbs. When a managerial position opened up, he pounced.

At first, owner Mike Hrametz was reluctant to hire such a young manager, but Rode persisted.

"We went out golfing and eventually Mike gave me the keys to the store and said, 'Go ahead and give it a try,' " he said.

According to Hrametz, Rode thrived in the leadership position.

"Ben was an excellent manager," he said. "He took a great amount of personal pride in what he did, which I think is rare in kids these days."

Rode said his success at Rammy's was a turning point in his life.

"I realized, 'Hey, I'm pretty good at this.' It was really satisfying," he said.

After two years at Rammy's and three semesters at Harper College, a junior college in Palatine, Ill., Rode was inspired to take on a new challenge. While attending the funeral of a friend, he learned of Mission Year, a yearlong inner-city service program.

"I started thinking, 'What have I ever done in my life for others?' This program seemed like an amazing experience," Rode said.

Rode signed up for the program and was placed in Oakland, Calif. He soon learned that the stereotype of the calamitous inner-city was off-base.

During one of his first nights in the city, Rode and his roommates started hearing loud pops. They assumed they were hearing a gun fight.

"Then we heard little fizzles after each pop; someone was just shooting fireworks," he said.

The yearlong experience, however, was not all daisies. As a volunteer at a local high school, Rode at times had to take over for missing teachers. His attempts to reach out to students were often futile, he said.

"I'm a very results-oriented person," he said. "To not see progress is frustrating for me."

That summer, at the end of his tenure, Rode led a group of kids at Today's Youth Matter Camp, a five-night camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Calif. At the end of camp, he and another counselor gave each camper a special medal of accomplishment. Rode said he wasn't sure the kids appreciated the recognition.

"I was thinking, 'They're just going to throw these away,' " he said.

Days later, Rode saw one of his campers, eight-year-old SirWilliam, standing at a bus stop with his mother. His basketball medal was still hanging proudly from his neck.

"It was so amazing," Rode said, slightly choking up. "It may have been the first time someone told him, 'Good job, man. I see you.' That kind of encouragement is so important."

Rode said his experiences in Oakland helped shape who he is today. He came to Marquette largely for its pillar of social justice. He said his view of the inner-city altered with him living a few blocks west of campus. His regard for service led him to Habitat for Humanity and a two-week service trip to Chile this summer.

College of Arts & Sciences sophomore Laura Brudzynski went on the Chile trip with Rode.

"He was entertaining, but also very hardworking. Ben was a great part of the team," she said.

Through all his endeavors, Rode said he likes to make a lasting impact.

"I'm a big believer in being the change you want to see in world," he said.

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