USD is one of San Diego’s greatest treasures
Ben Wood grew up in San Diego and went to Nazareth School, USDHS, San Diego Mesa Junior College and finished at USD. Ben and his brother, Bryan, started BWood Insurance and make the BEST tamales for their holiday parties! In addition to being an expert tamale maker, Ben is a model of servant leadership for his generation and beyond.
10 Things About Ben Wood & the USD Wine Classic
#1 I got my first job delivering the San Diego Union Tribune when I was about 12. I woke up at 4:30 every morning and rode my bike around our neighborhood for hours delivering the newspaper.
#2 My favorite restaurant is Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant in Kensington. Ponce Sr. used to take Ponce Jr. and me to the restaurant in between our paper route and school and had us cut avocados and sweep the floor. Then he paid us in huevos rancheros, Pepsi and unlimited guacamole. That is the best job I ever had!
#3 The one book I’ve gone back to, and read more than any others, is called ‘Take Your Time’ by Eknath Easwaran. Simple message and a very short read. Highly recommended.
#4 My favorite movie is Swiss Family Robinson. I would love to have my family on a boat, get stranded on an island and have to build a killer tree house to survive. Hopefully, there would be a few good surf spots on the island.
#5 Nothing against cats, but we love our black lab, Addie.
#6 I wasn’t quite the honor roll student growing up and the admissions department had to really dig through my nonacademic qualifications to get me into USD. It turned out to be a gigantic turning point in my life and I’ll be forever grateful. There’s a lot more to people than their GPA and test scores.
#7 Jesus would be a great lunch date, but if I had to pick someone to dine with today, it would be my mom. I get to see her a lot, but I love spending time with her.
#8 We are all standing on someone else’s shoulders. If you make it over the wall, take time to throw the rope back over and help others make their dreams happen.
#9 The money raised from the USD Wine Classic goes to the Alumni Endowment Fund that helps students offset their tuition costs. I do my best to support the school that was an integral stepping stone in my life.
#10 I see myself in many of the kids that we help. Their story is my story. Education is the key to so many opportunities in life. Without the generosity of previous donors, I would have never been able to attend USD. That’s why we give back.
USD Wine Classic
July 14-15, 2018
University of San Diego
http://marketing.sandiego.edu/wineclassic18/
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