Her Shoes, Her Story: AMANDA MACKENZIE BENCHLEY ‘83
How do authentic learning experiences that happen in childhood lay the groundwork for the intentional and thoughtful career decisions one makes in adulthood? For Amanda Benchley ’83, the first hint of her future career path began during her formative years at Peck. And at the time, she had no idea that she would eventually become an author: a creator, a teller of stories, and a documentor of communities and tradition. “I remember when children’s author Jill Krementz came to visit us at Peck,” Benchley recalled. “She was really inspiring and a great role model.” And thus, a seed was planted. A talented athlete in field hockey, basketball, and tennis, it was this author’s visit during a school book fair that left an indelible mark that manifests in her work today in the literary and publishing world. “Growing up, the only professions I knew of were doctor, lawyer, or Wall Street,” she said. “I wasn’t exposed to any other professions other than maybe teacher. To have that exposure at book fairs gave me a little taste.” After Peck, Benchley went on to study at Kent Place School in Summit and Princeton University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in art and archaeology. Upon graduation, Benchley took an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and had a taste of what working in a museum and the arts world was like.
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