Step through the doors of the Grace Hauenstein Library, head all the way to the back, and you鈥檒l discover the 色花堂 Writing Center tucked just beyond the computer stations. There, you鈥檒l find Anna Benstead, or 鈥淎nna Bee,鈥� buzzing around the inviting space, doing her part to foster a strong community and create excellent writers on campus.
It鈥檚 not often you find a student who has done it all鈥攕tudied abroad, presented student research, writes for The Saint, is a Writing Center consultant, serves on the Contemporary Writers Series Committee鈥攂ut even with a triple major in Education, English, and Spanish, somehow Anna manages to pack everything in!
Beyond her achievements, Anna is a widely beloved member of the Aquinas community, and she is every bit as kind as she is diligent. Her story at Aquinas is one of thoughtfulness and heart, traits that run through every chapter of her story, shaping her into the person she is today.
The Write People, The Write Place
At first, Anna鈥檚 acclamation to college life was a rough one socially. She had to find her people, and in doing so, she experienced some significant growing pains. But by the end of her first year, she was able to step confidently into her future and begin the long journey of rebuilding herself. 鈥淚 really credit the Writing Center,鈥� shared Anna, 鈥渇or pulling me away from a lot of the different negative energies in my life.鈥�
The Writing Center created a space for her to learn not just how to take these kinds of risks, but how to accept support from her community鈥攁nd then, how to share that support with others. 鈥淚 ended up meeting amazing consultants in the Writing Center. Everyone who's a consultant is just a good, beautiful human because, first and foremost, we are members of service,鈥� she expressed.
The Writing Center at Aquinas is committed to creating better writers, not just better writing. That鈥檚 their mission, and they live up to it in every consultation. Anna explained that, in practice, this means that they generally don鈥檛 focus solely on grammar and mechanics. Naturally, they will say something if it detracts from the meaning of the piece, but these consultants focus on 鈥渉igher order concerns:鈥� the structure of the piece, the meaning, and anything that prioritizes building students鈥� skills.
鈥淲e love to say that we're a 鈥榯alking center鈥� and not necessarily a writing center because we are excellent sounding boards,鈥� Anna explained. 鈥淲hat happens a lot is that students know what they want to say in their head and struggle to get it on paper.鈥�
Beyond her ability to confidently and effectively engage with writers, this community has opened doors for her professionally. She has attended Writing Center conferences, and she even joined the Contemporary Writers Series as a student worker, which has had a profound impact on her professional development.
There, she has learned how to work on committees, draft various documents, communicate effectively with people in different places and time zones, and organize events. 鈥淚 feel very prepared,鈥� said Anna. 鈥淩eally, I could have any job. It鈥檚 just such an amazing, comforting feeling because of how well Aquinas has prepared me.鈥�
Symposia, The Saint, and Study Away
As profound as these experiences were, they are just the tip of the iceberg for her involvement on campus. Her influence extends far beyond, as she has also presented at two research symposia, held a leadership position in the student newspaper, and participated in a study abroad experience.
Her research was as tactile as it was thoughtful: a quilt woven from the words of Writing Center visitors, each line forming part of a larger story. In the Writing Center course, there is a research component called a 鈥減raxis proposal.鈥� The goal of this project is to research ways to improve the Center and then conduct a proposal. And while these students are not required to actually follow through with this proposal, Anna did.
Over the course of three semesters, she asked student writers to write the name of a project that they were proud to work on, followed by their name, on a fabric square. Alongside this request, she changed the consultation feedback form to include a new question: Are you proud of the work you just did? From this, she learned that students don鈥檛 often take the time to reflect on their work and that this question helped them to see the value in their time and effort.
鈥淚 really just went down this rabbit hole of a quilt in the symbolic and literal implications of stitching a community together,鈥� explained Anna. 鈥淲hen you're proud of the work you do, you continue doing it. There's a lot of pedagogical theory in that realm as well. How do you get students to be proud of what they're doing?鈥�
Anna presented her quilt at two on-campus symposia鈥攖he more notable one being the Symposium on the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. Today, you can find her quilt hanging in the Writing Center, where it can be enjoyed for years to come.
Outside of the Writing Center, Anna also works for , the student newspaper on campus.
In her freshman year, she began as a writer for the culture section and has worked hard to improve the newspaper itself despite the turnover and poor internal processes that existed before. She worked with her team to expand the number of online articles published in each issue, increase the word count for each article from 240 to well over a thousand, and hire new reporters who cover more material across campus. She currently serves as the Assistant Editor-in-Chief.
鈥淚t's just been so exciting to watch The Saint grow and develop,鈥� said Anna, explaining that the team and processes have been completely revamped. 鈥淲e have weekly professional development meetings, where we're actually talking about writing, talking about the skills required鈥� Yeah, I love The Saint. It has such a place in my heart. I did not expect that freshman year I would get so invested.鈥�
These leadership qualities also translated to her experiences studying abroad. She was an ambassador for the CEA team, a third-party company that Aquinas partners with to make semester-long trips possible. Anna explains that this team relies heavily on outreach from former students who can share their experiences and answer any questions for others looking to study abroad.
Notably, Anna funded her entire study abroad program through private, third-party scholarships, so she was uniquely qualified to speak to students about how to fund their experience. 鈥淪tudying abroad should not be cost-prohibitive,鈥� she explains, 鈥渁nd it's an amazing cultural experience.鈥�
A is for Anna, a Future English & Spanish Teacher
Throughout every role and project, Anna has a way of leaving things better than she found them鈥攃reating spaces and experiences that will flourish long after she graduates.
Her leadership will ultimately guide her to a classroom, where she will shape generations of young minds. And, with a triple major in English, Spanish, and Education, her love for language naturally extends to exploring the rich cultures behind the words she teaches.
She explained that beyond language mastery, part of her own personal pedagogical philosophy is 鈥渢he inclusion of cultural knowledge, cultural sensitivity, empathy, and the ability to perceive other cultures.鈥� She enjoys watching her students react to cultural practices that are very different from what they might see in their own homes and how, through open discussion, they begin to open up to those practices鈥攎eeting them with understanding rather than defensiveness.
Anna shared one example of cultural exploration, where students watched and reacted to a video about D铆a de las 脩atitas, a Colombian tradition in which family members dig up the skulls of their loved ones, decorate them, and bring them to church to receive blessings. 鈥淭he majority鈥檚 reaction is, 鈥極h my gosh, how horrible. I can't believe they're doing this.鈥� And it's okay to have that gut reaction,鈥� she explains, 鈥渂ut what we're growing towards is, even if we'll never practice that in our lives, we're able to understand the value in that cultural tradition.鈥�
Anna still has a few semesters to go, but she already feels confident about entering a classroom, citing the abundance of observation hours she had access to. Unlike many larger state institutions, Aquinas requires these as a foundational part of every education class, meaning that learners graduate from the program with far more experience than what the state requires.
This helps Saints determine whether teaching is right for them in their very first education class, and it further hones the skills of aspiring teachers who complete the program. With observation hours come opportunities to ask questions and explore various teaching strategies. Anna was able to witness what kind of work was most effective for different students, how to engage them more effectively, various types of classroom management, and many other practical elements that many other colleges only discuss in theory.
The Generosity That Shaped Her Journey
Anna highlighted her financial aid as the reason she has been able to accomplish so much in so little time. In recognition of her achievements, she is the proud recipient of an AQ grant and athletics aid. She has also been honored with three scholarships: the Rabbi Albert and Shirley Lewis Endowed Scholarship, the Sister Catherine Williams O.P. Music Scholarship, and the St. Albertus Magnus Scholarship.
Without this aid, she would not have been able to afford Aquinas, and attending any other school would have come with significant student loans. When recalling another financial aid offer she received, she noted that they only promised two grand a semester. 鈥淚 don't even remember what the actual tuition was, but whatever it was, I was like, Oh, I'll die in debt,鈥� she stated.
Today, she is happily debt-free. 鈥淚t was amazing that Aquinas was reaching out to me, finding me. I just assumed that I was some name and a stack of papers,鈥� she shared, but 鈥淚 had these really personal connections right away.鈥�
Becoming 鈥淎nna Bee鈥�
Anna鈥檚 experience at 色花堂 has fundamentally changed her as a person. She shared how closely she now embodies community and service, two of our Dominican pillars. These values have shaped how she interacts with the world around her, as well as the decisions she makes about her future. She has even taken on a new nickname: 鈥淎nna Bee.鈥�
This nickname began in the Writing Center in her freshman year. At the time, there were two Annas; the first was Anna F., and she was Anna B. Over time, the other consultants began to joke that it was because she was a 鈥渂usy bee,鈥� a metaphor that she took and ran with.
Think of a honeybee. 鈥淭hey're members of service in lots of different ways,鈥� Anna explained. 鈥淭hey are only fruitful and productive through their collaboration. They're pollinating flowers, which they use the nectar and pollen from to produce the honey that they create. Lots of animals love honey. Really, I just tried to live up to my nickname.鈥�
鈥淭hat's how I've changed,鈥� she reflected, 鈥淚鈥檝e really tried to lean into that and be a better community member, a better worker,鈥� and a better servant leader.