The inaugural AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will be a showcase of the most diverse and impactful young professionals in various fields of work across the Philadelphia region.

At the virtual event, taking place August 20, 2020, Ben Goebel, 31, will be one of the 40 honorees. He is the Program Manager of the International Professionals Program at the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians.  

As part of the lead-up to the event, AL DÍA asked each of the 40 honorees the same three questions and collected their responses. 

Here are Ben Goebels responses:

I came to the US in 2015 and just 2 years ago I decided to dedicate my career to become a public servant. It was difficult at first. My biggest challenge has been that I’m in a new country trying to start in a new field, the one that I am passionate about. I had to learn a lot, I faced a lot of rejection and had to start from the bottom.  This taught me the importance of remaining hopeful.

When I graduated from the Welcoming Center’s Immigrant Leadership Institute (ILI). I always wanted to get more involved and this training that I luckily fell upon was the best way for me to really start that process. Since then, I have become more involved in my communities. I am thrilled to be working for the amazing organization that leads this training.

Change happens when things become personal to most people. Sharing stories is one way because many people are unaware of the exclusions happening in this country. In the US, Social Capital is essential to get any kind of opportunities, and usually marginalized communities do not have access to that social capital. They miss out on jobs, loans, grants, not because of a lack of qualities, but of because connections. This could be remediated if we all shared our resources.

To register for the upcoming AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event, click here. 

For more information about the event, reach out to [email protected].

For sponsorship opportunities, contact [email protected].