What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Mazel (May-Zelle) Janette Benson. I am an elementary teacher and doctoral student. My background is in hospitality business but I have only been teaching for the last 4 years.
How do you balance your personal life and professional aspirations, particularly in a demanding career?
Not easily. Teaching is demanding but when you couple that with being a foster/ adoptive mom, the demands placed upon you are endless. The key for me , however, is having a husband whose a homebody. His support and introvertedness allows for me to be able to pursue pageantry and work within the community, as well as the host of other things I do. And because he’s so lowkey, I can turn off and recharge when I need to.
What have been some of your biggest accomplishments?
One of my biggest accomplishments is my education. I am a first generation college graduate. I received my B.A. from Michigan State University (Go Green!), my MBA from Western Governors Univeristy, and look forward to receiving my Doctorate in Business Administration from Grand Canyon University next year. Being one who has to complete what she starts, when life throws me a curve ball or road block, I course correct and get back on track. Failure nor quitting is ever an option.
Another is simply being able to serve the community. I take pride in being able to quietly give back.
What have been some of your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
I am still going through one of my biggest challenges, which due to it being a current foster care case, I can’t say much. However, I am working to overcome it by making it apart of my “why”. I plan to lay the groundwork and start the research for my non-profit, Poised Provisions, to get further into advocacy work through changing policy surrounding children who are brought into care and how relaxed the standards are for reunification when it is clearly not in the child’s best interest. A child’s safety should supersede a parents rights.
Can you share an experience where you witnessed the power of sisterhood or community among women?
I volunteer with an organization called Women of Worth -Utah. In Women of Worth, we seek to uplift all women letting them know that they are more than enough as they are by encouraging them to courageously and unapologetically own and tell their stories. We are women helping women along the Wasatch Front who have recently come through trauma rediscover their self-worth and find their purpose. Watching the women involved each year change during the course of the program and build a community of support is powerful.
How has mentorship played a role in your personal and professional development?
Even if it has not been formal, mentorship has played a major role throughout my life. In everything from college prep organizations to learning from those who are in positions I hope to obtain, as well as peers in the doctoral journey, I have found mentors or growth partners. Every person brought into my life has presented me with a lesson to be learned, even if it was a hard lesson that ended the relationship. Life is about growth, and growth through service presented me with the biggest developmental opportunities of all.
What role do you think social media plays in promoting or hindering women’s empowerment?
One of my favorite quotes is by Marianne Williamson. She ends Our Deepest Fear with “…And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Social Media allows us to let our lights shine and expand our influence. On the flipside, it can also turn our confidence into cockiness as we place ourselves higher than others, or erode our self-esteem as we’ll allow comparison to become the thief of joy. Both scenarios strangle the power found in what can be considered the phenomenal feminine influence.
How important is self-care, and what practices do you adopt to prioritize your well-being?
Self-care if very important. We can’t fill up the cup of others if we allow our own to remain empty. For me, it’s the rare day of contemplative and restful silence, music (of any genre) in which I find meaning and release, and ultimately my relationship with God (or whatever higher power, people chose to believe in) and the fellowship with my religious community.
What legacy do you hope to leave for future generations of women?
To teach them to be powerful. There are no greater or more powerful words in all of language than “I Am”. Being considered as the name of deity, its mere utterance was punishable in ancient times. We as women are the crowning jewels of creation. Hence our order in it, the best was saved for last. Therefore, “I Am” should only be followed by words that bring strength, power, and confidence to us. Never degrade yourself.
Are there any words of encouragement you would like to give?
You’ve got this! Life is hard but can be equally rewarding. You will grow through hard things, but you can achieve great things.
