Student Spotlight: Ben Word

Photography student Ben Word is gaining career experience in photography, videography, graphic design and more as a student worker in the Pensacola State College Marketing and Information Department.

 

Word first enrolled at Pensacola State College after graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in 2023. He is pursuing an A.A. degree with professional aspirations to craft marketing campaigns for major brands, eventually as the head of his own marketing or production company.

 

Contributing to marketing and promotional projects for the college will provide him with real-world experience in creating a variety of campaign elements, including copywriting and social media management, corporate photography and video production, and graphic design.

 

“I chose PSC because most of my friends were going there, and it felt less intimidating than some of the nearby universities,” said Word. “My experience so far has given me far more opportunities than I ever could have imagined.”

 

One such opportunity was to meet and be photographed by Pensacola photographer Blake Jones.

 

“I got to meet a real-world professional who went through the same program that I’m enrolled in and is in the exact same position I’d like to be in someday,” said Word. “It was good for me to see how he worked and how he carried himself and how he wasn’t too different from me. That experience helped me realize that I was on the right path and to keep going.”

 

Outside of his studies and work at the college, Word enjoys documenting life on camera, working out, rock climbing, hiking and travel — especially overseas travel to Germany, where he was born.

 

Word enjoys the benefits of dual citizenship between the United States and Germany, and his most recent trip to Germany was in 2024.

 

“I love getting to meet other people there and to see their perspectives,” said Word. “They think differently than we do about a lot of things, but we’re the same at heart.”

 

Word enjoys sharing his own perspective on life through photography, a hobby he picked up as a child. “I’ve always enjoyed messing around with cameras. I started with film and then worked into digital photography,” said Word, who has found his passion for storytelling through photos and is building a solid foundation for his craft and career by making the most of his college experience at PSC.

 

Word says that PSC is unique in that it offers the traditional college experience of campus events and community, while offering everyone, regardless of their station in life, the chance to better themselves and do great things.

 

“My advice to other students would be to take every opportunity you can, because you never know who you’ll meet or what you’ll enjoy until you just do it,” said Word.