From The Navy To University Of Missouri-St. Louis: Benjamin Ebert's Eclectic Journey Through Higher Education

Kirkwood MO

19 January, 2022

8:01 AM

Description

Press release from the University of Missouri-St. Louis: January 10, 2022 Benjamin Ebert's eclectic background and interests are the ingredients of an engaging biography. Long before he started studying criminology and criminal justice and anthropology at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, he'd spent 20 years traveling the world and serving in the U.S. Navy. He traded it for being a single dad and a full-time student, who recently and serendipitously stumbled into an internship at a museum in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri that will display the recently discovered remnants of a previously unknown dinosaur species, Parrosaurus missourienisis. It's left a lot on his plate, but adding in his culinary interests, full plates are what Ebert likes. Ebert joined the Navy right out of high school. "I've wanted to go into the military since I was in middle school, " he said. "So, college never entered my mind. I did not like school at all. I was a very active, energetic teen, and school bored me. I grew up in the '80s, a time of the Cold War and G.I. Joe." Growing up Ebert was taught to love his country by his family and church community and was determined to serve. His time in the Navy was spent doing intelligence work – maintaining sonar equipment, anti-submarine warfare and oceanography – and he became a security specialist, focusing on counter-piracy, maritime terrorism and international policing. Ebert traveled to every continent but Antarctica and lived in Japan and England for three years each. Though he enjoyed his work, an unexpected turn of events led to his retirement. He became a single father, and with a young son, Anthony, to care for, remaining in the military was no longer viable. "I was like, 'I can't stay anymore. I can't deploy. What am I going to do with my kid when I'm gone?'" Ebert said. "I thought I'll just move back home where family is. It was always my goal to retire here." Another goal was to go to college. Ebert realized the lack of mobility people have without a college degree while he was in the Navy, but he also wanted to pursue higher education to be an example to his family and peers. He retired on July 31, 2017, enrolled in community college the next month and has been going to school ever since. Ebert sought an education that was in alignment with his cultural interests. "I wanted to go to school for culinary anthropology, as culinary anthropologists study food," he said. "That field is so small. There was nowhere really to go to school for it." So, Ebert created his own path. He went to Jefferson College and earned an associate degree in criminology and a certificate in culinary arts while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He also took advantage of a three-week cultural education excursion. "I got to go to South Africa and study apartheid and international diplomacy at the University of Johannesburg and the University of KwaZulu-atal," he said. After finishing up at Jefferson College, he wanted to pursue bachelor's degrees. Ebert's global experiences impacted his educational choices. He's loved his opportunities to travel and observe and immerse himself in different cultures. He has a great interest in people, behavior and cultural traditions. Finding the right educational fit wasn't easy. Ebert's ability to shape his own education was just one of the factors that led him to the UMSL. "I investigated Lindenwood, UMSL and Missouri Baptist," he said. "Neither Lindenwood nor Missouri Baptist was honoring the Missouri Returning Heroes Act, so I ended up applying to UMSL. UMSL was rated in the top 10 schools in the nation for its criminal justice programs. They also taught anthropology. I wanted to pursue a double major. I wanted to continue education in criminology and criminal justice for a Bachelor of Science and receive a bachelor's in anthropology. This school was a great pick since they offered both programs. UMSL also attracted me since they had a dedicated office for incoming veterans." This press release was produced by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The views expressed here are the author's own.