New Lenox’s Dorn gets in front of career with Bears
New Lenox’s Ben Dorn, a senior at Monmouth College, is using an internship as a gateway to work for the Chicago Bears.
“It’s a huge commute, but I’ve got to sacrifice everything I’ve got,” he said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to work in the NFL or professional sports.”
Dorn, who is working in the Bears ticket office, staffed the team’s preseason home games and now has his first regular-season game under his belt. He was at Soldier Field for the season-opening loss to Green Bay.
In his role with the Bears, Dorn ensures fans get into the stadium. At Monmouth, he’s a communication studies and public relations double major.
“I do their game day ticket operations,” he said. “I get there before the gates open, but I’m not at the ticket window. If people have trouble with their tickets, that’s when I get involved.”
His goal is to be in the front office. He plans on sending handwritten letters to all 32 NFL teams.
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“It’s been a great experience so far,” he said. “I’m excited for the future and what’s going to happen after this.”
Dorn credited his internship as a steppingstone.
“I got this position through my internship with the Chicago Dogs,” he said. “There were three guys dressed up in Bears gear, and I went up and talked to them, and we had a great conversation. That’s how I heard about working for the Bears.”
A member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Dorn serves as the president of Interfraternity Council. Earlier this year, he received the College’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes a student who has demonstrated significant potential for success through involvement in their community and has exemplified personal growth and exploration of the unfamiliar.
It’s that type of exploration that Dorn knows he needs to continue.
“I would tell other students interested in something like this that if you have to make yourself uncomfortable, do it,” he said. “It’s all about connect, connect, connect.”
National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s recently announced list of more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program included a dozen academically talented high school seniors from the area.
These students have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.
The 12 semifinalists include Argo’s Andrew Yoe, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jack Piros, Lemont’s Maximillian D. Schuette and Nora L. Zhou, Lincoln-Way East’s Riley C. Drzewiecki and James P. Legno, Lincoln-Way West’s Raymond J. Egner and Michael A. Glas, Marist’s Marykate C. Bartolotta, Mother McAuley’s Sophia E. Rowan, Providence Catholic’s Joseph M. McCloughan and Sandburg’s Ian C. Orbeck.
Georgia State University summer president’s list
Ronald Branch, Monee
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