Ben Lyle (he/him), is a communications major transferring to Sonoma State University in the fall of 2026. He was born and has lived the majority of his life in the California county of Sonoma, a region famous for its wine industry. In 2025, after a lengthy absence from higher education to pursue a variety of careers to support himself and his family, he enrolled in classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. There he discovered a passion for journalism, thanks to his time at the college’s student-run news publication, The Oak Leaf. While on the newspaper, he tried to help out wherever he could, getting interviews for breaking news stories, writing an experiential piece about mental health for the publication’s biannual magazine, copy-editing, writing reviews and spending a lot of time recording podcasts based on his interests. He is still unsure of where he will end up after graduating college in a few years, but he has been enjoying challenging himself in new ways as he continues his journey.
View his work for the Kyoto Project
