Ben was for many years the only African American kid at Highland High School which was disappointing for him since Highland, Texas is a rural conservative community that wasn't very diverse. The town is becoming slightly more diverse however, and another black student named Cody has joined the class but isn't friendly towards Ben or anyone else. Ben can't stand Beavis and Butt-Head, much like the rest of the class. He spends most of his class time listening to music on his headphones.