In late July, Shujaa Benson was catching touchdowns for the Danish Junior National Team against France in the triple-digit heat of Sevilla in Southern Spain.
Earlier this month, the 17-year-old embarked on a new chapter in his football career as a potentially unique star at Lake Forest Academy.
Benson, who hails from the Danish capital Copenhagen, is a member of the USA Football International Student Program (ISP), which helps standout football players from outside the United States realize their dream of playing the game in the sport's homeland. A total of 12 international student-athletes who meet specific academic and athletic criteria are enrolled at prep schools in five different states and receive financial aid from the program.
In his first game for the Caxy, Benson caught the first touchdown of his Lake Forest Academy experience in a 30-20 loss to Wayland Academy.
"I have already been told that I have to be bigger and stronger to be a threat as a wide receiver in the States," said Benson, who stands a gangly 6-foot-1 and weights in at 150 pounds. "I will be working on that, but I think the change in language will be my biggest challenge. I speak English, but I am sure it will be different when it comes to taking classes like math and biology."
Versatility has been the name of the game for Benson in his short time so far at Lake Forest Academy. In four games, he has caught six receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns, including a 30-yard touchdown, carried the ball 27 times for 86 yards and returned three kickoffs for 68 yards. Serving as his team's kicker, he made a 32-yard field goal and three of four extra point attempts. On the defensive end, he has contributed 17 tackles.
Benson also stood out in Sevilla this summer, where he led the Danish receiving corps at the biannual European Junior Championship of American Football and was a surprise omission from the All-Tournament team. He caught seven passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns, which both came in a third-place playoff loss to France, as Denmark recorded its highest-ever finish in international competition. Germany beat Sweden in the championship game.
"At home in Denmark, we don't face players that are of the same quality as the ones I am facing now, such as cornerbacks who were very tough to play against," Benson added. "Playing at this level will make me a more complete player."
Ted Stewart, first-year Lake Forest Academy head coach and Associate Dean of Admissions, orchestrated Benson's arrival in Chicago having witnessed first hand the benefits of the ISP at his former school, Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire.
Last year, Stewart watched Benson's Danish receiving teammate Kevin Gangelhoff flourish from a wide-eyed, and at times, homesick newcomer to a two-way threat who has since accepted a Division I football scholarship.
Benson acknowledges he has to turn his attention to a lot more than just football to emulate his European counterparts.
"I am here now, earlier than the other ISP students, for a summer program to get my language better and also to work on my football skills," he explained. "I have to do well in the classroom and not just on the football field."
Benson, who reveals a mass of dreadlocks and an infectious smile when he removes his football helmet, has enrolled at Lake Forest Academy for the next two years, where he will have to adjust to a life very different from his native Denmark.
"I am excited to be here, but maybe not being able to go over to a friends house to hang out will be difficult," he said. "But I'm here to study and to play football, so that is a sacrifice I will have to make. My family has done a lot to make it possible for me to be there, so I want to reward them by doing well."
