Volunteer Spotlight: Emil Benavides
Meet Emil, a Senior Music Education Major at Bethel College and a dedicated Student Advocate at Juniper Arts Academy since 2024. She’s supported youth in foster care through camps and programs at EmberHope, using music and mentorship to empower students. Check out her impact interview below:
What has been the most rewarding moment for you as a Student Advocate?
Emil: Getting to form relationships with the kids has been the most rewarding part, hands down! I feel so honored whenever they choose to let me in a little bit. Even though I'm supposed to be the one that "teaches" them/ helps them learn, they're the ones teaching me-- one of the kids even taught me how to crochet! The students I've met through Juniper are so creative, kind, smart, and SO SO funny oh my gosh. They occupy a BIG space in my heart! :)
Can you share a story about how you've seen a student grow or express themselves through art or music?
Emil: We had a girl come to art camp last summer who was very shy. I remember on the first day she kept leaving our table to go be with her staff. She didn't talk to the other students much and she HATED working with clay. Throughout the week, I remember Lisa and I trying to keep her engaged by asking her to help us with our clay projects because she didn't want to do hers. I proposed to the student that she could tell me how she wants her project and I'll do it for her, as long as she stands next to me; she agreed. When I finished, she looked so proud of herself. After that day, she did a total 180. By Friday, she was playing games with the students, volunteering herself to act out Juniper's rules, and choosing to make clay pinch pots:) Within 4 days she was a totally different person.
How has your experience as a Student Advocate impacted your perspective on the importance of arts education for youth in the juvenile justice and foster care communities?
Emil: …when they come to class, I see how badly they need to express themselves, whether it's through art or talking to us. Their personalities undergo a HUGE shift throughout our short time together because they need it, even though they won't admit it to us. They become more talkative and engage with us more as class goes on. Without access to education in art and/or music, where would these kids put their hurt, their anger, their pain?
