Family and Friends of Benjamin Bufford

This scholarship is established by family and friends of Benjamin Bufford to honor his tremendous legacy of faith, community service and professional excellence. Ben graduated from Calvin College in 2006 with a degree in electrical engineering. He went on to work as an engineer at General Electric and won GE’s competitive ERD Award for his work as lead engineer and technologist at GE Aviation’s Navigation and Guidance division, where he specialized on Flight Management Systems.

Perhaps more than Ben’s professional achievements, it was his volunteer service that made him a widely loved figure of the Grand Rapids community. Ben served on the Michigan Board of Nursing, Varnum Law’s Diversity Council, and GE Aviation’s Diversity Committee, and was actively involved in the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Community Engagement Committee. Ben’s biggest passion however, was his faith and church. He was a deeply involved member of Vineyard North Church, where he volunteered by teaching Sunday School for children and driving the bus, working at the nursery, doing child care during single-mom’s meetings, and many other contributions to the life of the congregation.

This scholarship brings together the things Ben valued most in life: his faith, his family, his call to service and his dedication to the field of engineering.