An Extraordinary Story: Ben Rudman '08

At Cornell, our top priority is preparing our students for success in an increasingly competitive and global economy. That starts by bringing the best and most deserving students to Cornell. The “Extraordinary Opportunities” campaign seeks to expand our endowed scholarship program, so that more students receive the financial resources they need to develop into caring, thoughtful leaders. Learn more...

Ben Rudman ‘08 plays on the baseball team at Cornell and is active in the college’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and College Republicans. He was a little unsure of himself during his first year, he says, and winning the Judge and Mrs. C.F. Littell Statesman Scholarship was a turning point.

“I was not sure whether I was meant for a challenging academic environment, and the Littell scholarship gave me assurance. In fact, it changed my attitude,” says Rudman, a native of Littleton, Colo. “I knew that I had to live up to the meaning of the scholarship, and I had to turn up my academic and athletic performance.”

But the Statesman Scholarship did more for Rudman than just change his attitude—it also allowed him to remain at Cornell. “My family knew exactly how much financial aid and scholarship help I would need to go to a school like Cornell, and this scholarship was exactly what I needed,” he says. “Without this scholarship, there is no way I would be at Cornell. To me, it is more than a scholarship, but a representation of the kindness that surrounds this institution.”

Rudman has been chosen by the Cornell Fellows Program to be the Riesen Fellow, with an assignment at the corporate headquarters of Famous Dave’s Barbecue in Minneapolis.

“I am blessed to have such a fantastic opportunity,” he says. “The greatest thing about a place like Cornell is that it is a hub for opportunity. Anyone can make anything out of his or her experience here. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, or what is in your past, Cornell is structured for you to turn yourself in the right direction.”