Meet the Bennetts

MISHAWAKA—Meet Johnny (’17) and Annie (’16) Bennett, Bethel graduates and a recently married couple who have come back to Sailor and the dorms they each served in as RAs, to be the new Resident Directors.

Annie graduated in 2016 with a degree in Sociology and TESOL and has since been teaching and working in the classroom as well as occasionally helping at the Dining Commons.

After graduating with a Vocal Performance degree in 2017, Johnny has been working full time in Orlando and, more recently, back home in Elkhart. In addition to meeting at Bethel, they both enjoyed their time as students here and are eager to give back. Dorm life, student groups, and intramurals were some of Annie’s favorite things on campus.

For Johnny, it was intramurals. As an avid lover of sports and competition, he is excited for his secondary role as the new Director of Intramurals. Annie also has a second role on campus. She is helping with communications, especially with Student Life and the student body to be aware of the many events on campus. She is also in charge of the announcements on the TVs around campus.* She is even eager to try to reform a student group dedicated to fellow children of missionaries.

In Annie’s words, the purpose of the group is “So that different students who are missionary kids feel like they have a place where people understand them, and they can go to and have an added group of friends.” In their downtime, both like to occasionally sneak an episode or two of their favorite shows in.

As a couple, they are fond of watching The Office and The Walking Dead, but on their own time, their tastes diverge. Annie’s guilty pleasure show is Jane the Virgin; on the other hand, Johnny can sometimes be found not-so-guiltily watching One Tree Hill.

There are many things both have missed about campus and are looking forward to jumping back into. Topping Johnny’s list is the Oakwood-Manges game in which Manges has lost for six straight years, and Dude Week, a time when the male dorms focus on growing in community with the other men on campus and often abstain from technology. Annie is excited to be able to go to sporting events and theater shows.

The Bennett’s, both individually and as a couple, are tremendously excited to serve in their new roles as the resident director for Sailor Hall. If you see them on campus, introduce yourself and welcome them back to Bethel! 

*Editor's note: The announcements on the TVs around campus are managed by the university's Marketing and Communications Department, not by Annie. We regret this error.