At the University of North Georgia (UNG) Dwight Bennett discovered a passion for the Arabic language and culture that took him around the world and supplemented the leadership experiences he gained as a member of the Corps of Cadets.
Bennett's parents, for the most part, decided the cadet would attend UNG. But, he never changed that decision.
It was a toss-up between West Point and UNG. However, the latter won for Bennett as he wanted equilibrium between military and college life.
"At UNG, I saw how involved you could be outside the Corps of Cadets and didn’t want to go four years and regret not having those experiences," he said.
After graduating in May 2019, Bennett said his time at UNG was colorful. He was part of many organizations and held many roles.
Coming from a military background, Bennett looked for opportunities that could help mold him into a better man and soldier. He found those opportunities as he rose through the ranks from Color Guard commander to company first sergeant to brigade sergeant major to finally, company commander.
His military experience also allowed for international opportunities. In March 2016, Bennett was invited to attend the International Cadet Week hosted by the National Defense Academy in Latvia, a country on the Baltic Sea in eastern Europe that borders Russia. This was an honor as only two cadets and a military science faculty member from UNG were selected.
His international experiences did not stop there. Initially, Bennett majored in business. He became interested in the Summer Language Institutes (SLI) where students learn a language for six weeks and earn eight credit hours, fulfilling their foreign language requirements. Once his commitment to the SLI was completed, Bennett realized he had a passion for Arabic and changed his major.
The Modern and Classical Language department hosts a study abroad program in Fez, Morocco. Bennett quickly signed up. He took three Arabic courses with students at a university for nine weeks while living with a host family. His time in Morocco instilled in him a love for travel.
In his final year, he served as a resident assistant (RA) for one of the residence halls. Bennett was also a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, which he valued as an outlet to meet new people and take a break from his military responsibilities.
His military responsibilities were weighty. As company commander, he was charged with the well-being and health of 60 to 70 cadets. But, he used the stress from his several duties as motivation to be the best he could be. One of his proudest moments was finishing one semester with a 4.0 GPA.
"I had never done it before," Bennett said. "I really applied myself and saw the result from it."
He reflects on his time at UNG fondly and looks optimistically toward the future.
"I've had a lot of success at this school, but a good amount of failures," he said. "My advice for other students is don't be afraid to not be perfect. You're here to be better."
