Community has been important to Spencer Benoit M’22 ever since he served in the U.S. Army. From 2006 to 2012, he worked as an attack helicopter mechanic in Afghanistan. He made good use of his G.I. Bill once he returned to the U.S., enrolling at UMass Lowell to study biology.
However, as Benoit explained, his major felt more like an obligation than a passion. After three years, he decided to pursue what he truly felt was his calling – education.
“When I decided I wanted to get into education, I switched over to a history major,” he said. “When I was in biology, career-wise that seemed like a high-tier thing to shoot for, but my heart wasn’t really in it. I had much more of a passion for history.”
For the next couple of months, Benoit thought he would become a history teacher. As he started to do more research, school counseling seemed more his speed.
“I started researching schools and Merrimack really stood out,” he said. “Whenever someone saw the list of grad schools I was applying to, (Merrimack) was the name that had everyone saying, ‘I knew someone who went there’ or ‘I heard that was a great school.’”
And he found community once again at Merrimack.
“The faculty and professors were amazing,” he explained. “They were completely supportive in making the program work for my needs and schedule. As much work as I put into it, Merrimack really made it happen in terms of putting it together for my degree.”
Classmates showed Benoit immense support as well.
“They were friends that supported me, and we’re still friends now,” Benoit said. “We got to know each other, had meaningful discussions and helped each other with the coursework.”
During his practicum, Benoit was initially placed at a school he felt wasn’t a good fit and faculty made it their mission to find another assignment that best supported Benoit’s direction.
“I’m glad I went through it because It was one of the steps in finding my way to where I am now,” he said. “I work better with the younger kids.”
After graduation, Benoit landed a job as a school counselor for the Southwick School in Northfield, New Hampshire. Some of his responsibilities include providing social and emotional education to elementary-age students, as well as writing referrals for mental health services.
“I’m treated so well,” he said of his job. “I have the ability to make my own decisions on how the job gets done. I have amazing support from my district and all the teachers at the school are amazing.”
As for now, Benoit still hasn’t taken full advantage of his G.I. Bill academic benefits. He expects he’ll pursue an advanced graduate certificate in educational leadership in the near future.
