It is not not every day that you encounter someone so young with a full beard in a four year institution, even taking on the daunting challenge of completing a Plan of Concentration in economics, but that’s exactly the role 16 year old Yoni Bork is currently filling at Marlboro.
A high school graduate at age 14, Yoni has remained steadfast in his conviction to redistribute capital from corporate interests to the public sector. He is endlessly concerned about the acceleration of our globalized economy following NAFTA (a trade agreement older than he is) and now Bork is fired up about the propositions made by the Trans Pacific Partnership bill, which he describes as “injurious and/or frightening.”
As a sophomore,1 young Bork has much work to do before he can even hope to see his ambitious weltanschauung become a reality. To create a more just world through economic reforms would not only be a dream come true for Bork, but for millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet.
To end on a more lighthearted note, we asked Young Bork what his favorite candy is. Here is his eloquent response,
“I like sour patch kids a whole lot. I find that there are a lot of powerful kinships between their physical form and the world we inhabit today. They come in many colors, which I perceive to be representative of the multicultural world and nation we are a part of. I am also compelled by the powerful transition that they make when you put them in your mouth. At first,” said Young Bork, “they are sour, just like the current economic situation we are confronted with today, but by the time I am finished with them, they are sweet.”
By the end of our conversation, Bork grew teary eyed. He is grateful to have found a dynamic learning community like Marlboro College, where he is able to pursue his passions. Yoni urges today’s youth to reject the status quo and never stop dreaming.
