F&M Alum Begins English, Comp. Literature Master’s Program at Columbia
Bendjhi Villers, a 2017 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College (F&M), holds a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science and a minor in philosophy. This past fall, Bendjhi began a master’s program at Columbia University in English and comparative literature.
At F&M, Bendjhi worked with Professor Jessica Cox as a Hackman Scholar to research the effect bilingualism has on cognitive function. He was the also president of LIFT (Levitate, Inspire, Foresight and Teach), a student group on campus, where he wrote and performed spoken word poetry and hosted creative writing workshops. Bendjhi made an effort to explore new interests at F&M, joining the rowing team and serving as president of IMPACT (Intelligent, Men, Purposefully, Accomplishing, College, Together).
“I did a lot in college to figure it out what it was I wanted to do, and now I have a better understanding of who I am and what my passions are,” Bendjhi says. “I have learned to take risks and be confident in myself and trust the process.”
“I had mentors who showed me the way as I came into myself. Because of that, I try to give back as much as I can.”
As a new F&M graduate, Bendjhi accepted a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Fellowship to teach in the Czech Republic. Between lessons, he facilitated an after-school poetry club where students wrote poems in Czech to translate into English.
“I became interested in Romani languages’ suppression, which systematically keeps the Roma out of the Czech educational system,” Bendjhi says, recalling his time abroad. “The treatment of the Roma paralleled what was happening in my home country, Haiti. Despite 100% of Haitians being speakers of Kreyòl, children attend schools taught in French until they can no longer afford to attend.”
Upon his return to the U.S., Bendjhi joined the Cooperman College Scholars program, where he spent three years as the director of college prep programs. Cooperman College Scholars supports academically talented, highly motivated students with financial need from Essex County, New Jersey, in their efforts to attain a four-year college degree. The program was co-founded by fellow F&M Posse alumnus Shawn Jenkins.
“I had mentors who showed me the way as I came into myself,” Bendjhi says. “Because of that, I try to give back as much as I can.”
Bendjhi is now focusing on his master’s studies at Columbia, with the eventual goal to obtain a doctoral degree and become a college professor. He knows the Posse community will always be a key network in his life.
“Posse has been a support system from the beginning,” Bendjhi says. “It’s been the centerpiece for me.”
