Ben Gelt

Ben Gelt graduated from Denver East High School in June 1999. He began his inspiring career in activism shortly after the tragedy at Columbine High School, twenty miles away from his home.

On April 21st, 1999, when all Denver high schools were canceled after the tragedy at Columbine High School, Ben and his friend David Winkler decided to organize students to become politically active to make their schools and communities safer. On July 14, after weeks of intensive organizing, 95 students from across Colorado boarded a plane to Washington D.C. to demand better gun laws. The student group spent an hour-long private meeting with the President, after which the President and David made nationally televised speeches from the White House. When the President challenged Ben and David to return to Washington the following year with more students, Ben and Dave accepted and decided to take a year off before entering college to work on this effort.

Soon after their trip to the White House, David appeared on The Today Show in New York and Ben appeared on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher to discuss youth violence issues. The Denver Post recognized both Ben and David as Colorado leaders for the new Millennium. Ben was the youngest finalist ever for the Channel 9 News Leader of the Year Award and both he and David were selected by the Colorado Children's Campaign for the AGAPE awards, presented to outstanding young leaders in the state. In October, David was the youngest of fourteen other youth leaders invited to the White House for a meeting in the Cabinet Room with the President to discuss youth issues.

Ben and David helped Co-Found PAX Students during 1999-2000 and are now currently in their freshman year of college. Although they have passed on the leadership of PAX Students to the new Co-Chairs, they are both still involved with PAX Students as advisors.