Benjamin Murphy

Age: 22

Home Town: Seattle, Washington

Education: Colorado College

Specific Field Interests: Education, Economic Development

Placement: AIF Integrated Program, Kotdwar, Uttarakhand

Area of Focus: Education

Fellowship Project: Integrating computational thinking, digital literacy, and STEM education into the existing pedagogical practices of science and mathematics teachers to equip students with 21st-century skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Highlights: Benjamin Murphy graduated cum laude from Colorado College, earning a bachelor’s degree with distinction in Business, Economics, and Society. He is passionate about helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses and supporting communities to spark and sustain economic growth. Benjamin was awarded the Newman Civic Fellowship in recognition for his work supporting economic development in underdeveloped areas of Colorado Springs. Benjamin has engaged in public-sector consulting, including an internship with the Quad Innovation Alliance. There, he led a team that proposed solutions to revitalize a county-owned parking garage including public art installations and community markets. While at the Colorado Department of Labor, he provided recommendations to help rural business owners access and leverage digital tools to scale their businesses and spur rural economic growth. For two years, he interned with Exponential Impact, a nonprofit startup incubator, assisting start-up founders in scaling their businesses. There, he served on the executive committee for the Survive and Thrive Program; providing analysis of financial statements and business plans for dozens of small businesses to optimize the impact of over $800,000 in annual loan distributions and he broadly worked to support the organization’s mission in catalyzing a cohesive and dynamic entrepreneurial community. Most recently, Benjamin spent the summer in rural Mumias, Kenya, working with a local nonprofit to support and learn from livelihood initiatives, including village banking programs and poultry rearing projects. Born in Johannesburg, Benjamin has also lived in Jerusalem, Tokyo, and Seattle. He enjoys rock climbing, hiking, reading, and trail running.