Name: Benjamin Sarafinas

Major: Human Development and Family Studies

Graduation Date: Dec. 17, 2022

MEDIA, Pa. – As Benjamin Sarafinas prepares for commencement on Dec. 17, he reflects on his time at Penn State Brandywine and how it’s shaped him as a student.

“I chose Penn State Brandywine because I had a connection to it through my family,” he said. “My older sister went here and graduated in 2020. She was also a human development and family studies (HDFS) major, so that’s how I became interested in studying HDFS.” He also explained that his sister played volleyball for Brandywine, so he got familiar with the athletics program and the campus during his sister’s time in college. Since he heard about everything she was able to do at Brandywine, he felt encouraged to apply.

During his time at Brandywine, Sarafinas was part of the Hall of Fame committee for athletics and was on the men’s soccer team.

“Being on the men’s soccer team gave me a backbone as a student,” he said. “Bobbi Caprice, the director of athletics, made sure all the student athletes stayed on top of our academics. She always said that we were a college student first and a college athlete second, so she always made sure we prioritized our schoolwork.”

When reflecting on one of his greatest accomplishments during his time at Brandywine, he brought up his time playing soccer. “I’ve been lucky enough to be on two men’s national soccer championship winning teams. Winning those two national titles for Brandywine was one of my greatest accomplishments in my college career.”

One of Sarafinas’ favorite memories at Brandywine was spending time with his friends. “I really enjoyed sitting in the Student Union and eating lunch with a couple of my friends. I would say it’s one of the highlights of college for me.”

Sarafinas said he found it difficult to think of one valuable lesson he’s learned during his time as a Brandywine student.

“There are just so many,” he said. “If I had to pick one, it would be that nothing is set in stone. Things change every day; it’s just a part of life. I have to be able to adapt to everything and anything, and Brandywine helped me do that.”

When considering advice for future Brandywine students, Sarafinas said to not be afraid of trying something new.

“There’s so much more to college than just classes,” he said. “There are so many things that I never thought about getting involved in before coming to college. Try new things – people won’t judge you for it as much as you think they would.”