Every once in a while, following the beaten path still leads to new possibilities. For Bennett McGehee (2018), growing up in Mobile and being surrounded by Alabama fans did not mean his time at The Capstone was a guarantee. Even still, one tour and a scholarship was all it took. Today, Bennett is a proud graduate of The University of Alabama, earning his Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration after majoring in finance and economics while minoring in French.
Bennett’s time at UA, though full of cherished memories, was not always smooth sailing. As is the case for numerous other students, attending an institution as sizable as Alabama’s was nothing short of daunting. His second semester of freshman year proved to be a bit easier, as he was able to join a variety of student organizations and build lifelong friendships in the process. Relationships are ultimately what brought him to the Blackburn Institute; after speaking with Ryan Truitt (2016), a Blackburn student and fellow alum in the Alabama YMCA’s Youth in Government program, Bennett knew the Institute would grant him the perfect opportunity to travel around his home state, learning from and alongside the people within it in the process. He even realized that Blackburn had been influential in shaping his college experience long before he knew of its existence. A number of his mentors and role models, regardless of their niche on campus, had the Blackburn Institute in common.
Bennett officially joined the Institute as a member of the Class of 2018, and he remains a staunch supporter of Blackburn nearly a decade later. Both the curriculum and community sit at the forefront of his mind when recalling the impact of his experience, as well as how both have continued to shape his path today. As a native of Alabama, his time traveling within the state had been primarily limited to his hometown and Montgomery. His lack of exploration made the Burt Jones Rural Community Experience pivotal to his expanding views and opinions of Alabama and the issues that plague it. Bennett recalls touring the Holman and Fountain prisons in Atmore, Alabama and how witnessing firsthand the living conditions of inmates within the facility transformed his preexisting opinions on criminal justice. After Burt Jones, Bennett collaborated with other members of his class to write letters to state legislators and issue leaders, imploring them to recognize the plight facing the incarcerated. From then on, answering a call to action became an undeniable aspect of his Blackburn student experience. Bennett coordinated with the Institute to create a returning student DCS project focused on building a mentorship program with the REACH program at The University of Alabama. Housed under the Capstone Center for Student Success, REACH serves “students from foster care backgrounds, legal orphans, those raised in kinship guardianship care and homeless students” at the university through “provid[ing] financial, social and academic support.” After connecting with program leadership and discovering that there was a dearth of mentorship access for its students, Bennett developed a DCS proposal to address the issue. Complete with a mentorship program guide and an organized meet-and-greet opportunity with local mentors, he resolutely believes this to be the most impactful part of his Blackburn experience.
Needless to say, Blackburn has left a permanent mark on Bennett and his journey. His time in the Institute reaffirmed his love for Alabama and her people, leading to his decision to return to his home state after a brief stint away at the beginning of his career. Today, Bennett serves as Vice President, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager at PNC Bank in Birmingham, assisting businesses in North and Central Alabama secure the financing and banking support needed for them to operate and grow. His time in Blackburn and the networking experience it supplied has proven to be foundational to his role, as he is tasked with continuously connecting business owners with the services they need, building and maintaining relationships every step of the way.
As an incoming Advisory Board member, Bennett states that it is an honor to be able to support the Institute in its mission, vision, and values, particularly by mentoring students as they determine their academic and post-graduate journeys. Put simply, he is intent on paying forward what he loves about Blackburn to the next generation of students: enduring relationships and deliberate community engagement. From his time as a student and into his career, it is no surprise that Bennett finds intergenerational networking to be the value he employs the most. Alongside his wife, Blackburn Fellow Kate Fountain McGehee (2020), he has continuously worked to strengthen the Birmingham Blackburn community via organizing networking events with Fellows and students alike. His favorite aspect of these fellowship opportunities is to learn more about his Blackburn community members—from the varied assortment of professional roles to their range of civic engagement focuses and everything in between.
However, in an echo of his realization in college, Bennett knows that, through the flurry of differing perspectives and ever-changing life experiences, all threads lead back to the Institute.
If Bennett could speak to his younger self today, he would remind him that, while imposter syndrome is normal, it should be used as a springboard rather than an immobilizer. The Institute is an organization where interacting with others and learning from their perspectives is a vital step in becoming the changemakers we wish to be. He would encourage himself and new students to take advantage of every opportunity to engage with what it means to be a member of the Blackburn Institute, including stopping by the office to share lunch with Jerran, a favorite pastime of Bennett’s while he was a student.
Make sure to say hi to Bennett at your next Blackburn networking event, and don’t forget to congratulate both him and Kate, as they are expecting a Blackburn baby this fall!