STUDENT OVERCOMES ADVERSITY, LEADS HIS SISTER TO A PATH OF EDUCATION

It may have taken Eric Bennett, graduate of Central Wyoming College, a while to decide his degree path, but now that he has found it there is no way he is giving up on a dream.

Born and raised in New Mexico, Bennett was a natural leader and shaped his future after he enrolled in boarding school in seventh grade; shortly after his parents divorced. Boarding school was not a new concept for him; both his parents attended boarding schools and after he enrolled into a co-ed boarding school his first grade sister followed suit.

“It’s kind of a legacy that we went,” Bennett said about attending boarding school.

The all Native American school had a population much like the town of Riverton with Navajo students being the majority attendees. In addition to typical math, science, social studies and English studies the boarding school studies included Native American studies based mostly on Navajo history and the history of New Mexico. While there, Bennett learned three languages including Navajo, English and Spanish.

“It was the best years of my life,” Bennett said. “It taught me a lot of responsibility. The resident advisors are like your family; I came in as a stranger and we all left as family.”

Throughout his time in boarding school, Bennett always enjoyed being a leader. He ran for vice president for Student Senate and during his freshman year became president after the previous president left. He made the varsity cross-country team as a freshman and became the captain his sophomore year.

“I had the experience and we won state that year,” Bennett said. “Other years we got runner-up but it was really competitive.”

After graduating, Bennett said he never planned ahead. However, his coach signed him up for a college visit at New Mexico Highlands University, where he later received a cross-country scholarship.

“I feel like I was an idiot because I lost the passion for running; it was tough so I quit and stopped running,” Bennett said.

Bennett only spent a year at Highland; quitting to help his family after they lost their house to a fire.

“We came out with what we had on our backs and that took a long time to come out of and rebuild,” Bennett said. “When you lose it, where do you go from there?”