Staff Voices: Dr. John Bennett
From serving in the Army to working in the TRIO Student Support Services program as an academic specialist, Dr. John Bennett has put the greater good of others
above himself.
Bennett is an Iraq War veteran and former Oklahoma National Guardsman. After returning
home from Iraq in November of 2008, he says his priority was to go to college.
鈥淣o one in my family had ever attended college,鈥 he explained. 鈥淚鈥檓 a member of the
Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, and while I can鈥檛 speak for everyone, educational attainment
is just not a priority in the Native American community that I am from.鈥
However, the timing wasn鈥檛 quite right. Bennett reflected on that time and said he
wasn鈥檛 academically, personally, or professionally prepared to be a student. As a
result, he re-enlisted with the Army for another four years.
By 2013, Bennett was ready to give college another shot.
鈥淚 started going back to school in spring 2013, online at Liberty University,鈥 said
Bennett. And that is where he remained for the next ten years. He earned a bachelor鈥檚
in religion in 2016 with a minor in counseling, a master鈥檚 in executive leadership
in the fall of 2017, and as of the fall of 2022, a doctorate in education leadership
鈥 all from Liberty University鈥檚 online campus.
鈥淎nnually, there are only 300 to 400 Native American students across the country that
finish with a doctoral level degree, and I鈥檓 proud to be one of those few hundred,鈥
said Bennett.
But working in higher education was not the career Bennett envisioned, especially
after the challenges he endured throughout his education before college. As a kid,
Bennett attended 23 different K-12 schools before his senior year of high school.
It was that instability Bennett used as motivation to find a job and career that paid
the bills and provided him stability as an adult, stability for his wife, and stability
for his younger sister, whom he was awarded custody of. Education was his answer.
While attending Liberty University, Bennett worked various jobs, such as a police
officer for the city of Pocola, a glass cutter in Van Buren at Dillmeier Enterprises,
and a forklift operator at Baldor. Eventually, he worked in admissions for Vista College
鈥 a former for-profit school in Fort Smith 鈥 from November 2015 until February 2019.
鈥淚 found a couple of things that I really gravitated to, and one was advice,鈥 said
Bennett. 鈥淚 had been around the world and had a lot of experiences, and as I was speaking
to new or potential students, I realized I had some good advice to share with them
on how to avoid failures because I had done so many of those myself.鈥
Bennett鈥檚 newfound passion for sharing advice and his ability to connect with others
transitioned into working for his Choctaw roots. During the late winter and spring
months of 2019, he became a corporate trainer for the Choctaw Nation. However, he
soon realized it was with students that he thrived most.
In July 2019, Bennett arrived on the 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 campus and found a home within the Lions
community.
Since then, he has connected with hundreds of students through TRIO, working with
the Native American Student Association or student-veterans, serving on the first-generation
student committee, and being the advisor for Dice and Dragons, the university Dungeons
and Dragons student organization.
鈥淭he possibility that I maybe can set an example for somebody else, even if it鈥檚 somebody
I don鈥檛 ever meet, it means a lot to me because I don鈥檛 think I ever had that myself,
at least not in terms of educational attainment,鈥 said Bennett.
Whether on- or off-campus, Bennett serves as a reminder that your background doesn鈥檛
determine your future. His dedication to students鈥 success is an inspiration that
he hopes to continue to provide for years to come.
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