Dr. Ben Carson talks Education, Faith and Potential Presidential Run

NAPLES, Fla. -A year and a half out from the 2016 Presidential election and a potential Republican candidate is speaking in Southwest Florida.

Dr. Ben Carson is a neurosurgeon, author and public speaker. He spoke with Wink News about the event, his potential run for the White House and his thoughts on Baltimore.

Tuesday, he spoke on behalf of a Naples Charter School–Mason Classical Academy. He addressed a crowd of around 650 telling the audience how education changed his life and how charter schools like Mason Academy needs the support of its community as it expands K through 12th.

Dr. Carson says two things put him behind the podium at Naples Grande Resort Tuesday: faith and education. “People are coming to hear his story on education and they are also hearing what is happening right here at Mason Classical Academy,” says charter school founder Kelly Lichter. Dr. Ben Carson is supporting the schools growth and success with students. “For me, I didn’t think I was a very good student,” says Dr. Carson. “I was in poverty and had a horrible temper. It was really a combination of faith and education that got me through all of those things.”

His personal story is one of poverty, hard work and success. “It’s important to instill in the next generations a “can-do” attitude,” says Dr. Carson.

This vision of “can-do” backed by his faith and education may also lead him to a much bigger podium, a national one in a potential run for President of the United States. Only Wink News asked him about his political future. “It wasn’t what I was planning when I retired, but I have been dedicated to the welfare of the next generation,” says Dr. Carson. “I can’t enjoy myself thinking of what is happening to them.”

Dr. Carson is also thinking about the people of Baltimore, a place he spent 36 years, where protests are taking place. “You get a small group of agitators who are able to manipulate people and that is what has happened,” says Dr. Carson of the protests surrounding Freddie Gray’s death. “One of the reasons our founding fathers emphasized education is they said if you have an uneducated population, they will be subject to manipulation.”

Dr. Carson’s recent launch to the national spotlight has called for security to keep him safe. The school hired Naples Security Solutions to provide detail before, during and after Dr. Carson’s speech. The security team says they set-up detail as they would for any national figure or presidential candidate.

Dr. Carson is expected to make his official announcement about his potential run for President May 4th. He is expected to run as a Republican.