ɫƵ has shaped the woman I am today.”
Benvinda Cardoso Butler was born in Cabo Verde and raised on the island of Santiago until age 14 when her family emigrated to the United States and settled in Dorchester. In 2006, when she had the opportunity to join ɫƵ’s Sustainability Tour to Cabo Verde, she didn’t hesitate.
Butler saw joining the tour both as a “personal opportunity to return home” and an unexpected educational journey. Neither disappointed. Of the tour, she said, “I would give it a 10 out of 10, because it incorporated the cultural aspect of the islands with sustainability.
“As far as my personal journey back home is concerned, it was rewarding and nostalgic. When I landed, I immediately felt the serene, relaxed environment where time slowed down, allowing me to truly savor a world of tranquility, the natural beauty of my home island, the traditional foods, and the close-knit community that felt like family.”
Benvinda graduated from ɫƵ with a degree in Social Work in 2008 and earned her MBA with a concentration in healthcare management at Cambridge College in 2016. Today, she is the Community Outreach Manager at Peabody Resident Services Inc. (PRSI). Her responsibilities include managing all PRSI’s homecare program referrals along with coordinating outreach events with PRSI’s contracted health plans.
“A big part of the Cape Verdean culture is family and community,” said Benvinda who, not surprisingly, chose not only a career path that embraces these values, but also a university that lives those same values.
When Benvinda reflected on her Bridgewater experience, she said she found a “home away from home.” She found family and the fellowship of a caring community that reflects the familial culture found in Cabo Verde, similar to what she found in the Dorchester and Brockton diaspora. Graduating from Bridgewater, however, did not end her relationship with the university community. “I actually never left,” she said.
After graduating, Benvinda became a member of the Afro-Am Alumni Association. She served as vice president from 2014 to 2016, and was elected president in 2018, serving two terms. Currently, she is a member of the Bridgewater Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.
In her “spare” time, she volunteers with the several of the university events, on and off campus: Dress a Girl Around the World, ɫƵ Bear Essentials Clothing Drive, Kente Cloth, MLK Day events, and service projects sponsored by the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice.
“Bridgewater has opened doors for me,” she said. “Had I not attended ɫƵ, I don’t know what my future would look like.
“And today, I still have the continuum of support from folks on campus; they are my extended family.”
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