MONROE — Casey Bennett was looking for his next chapter in life and, after doing a little soul searching, has found a path he feels will lead him to happiness by setting a goal and committing to it. 

Bennett was recently among the nationwide recipients for the 2020 Mike Rowe Works Foundation Work Ethic Scholarship. Of the 223 scholarships awarded, only five were given to students in Wisconsin. 

The Brodhead High School graduate and now Orfordville resident said he’s adopted a ‘say yes’ attitude and a positive mindset that’s helped him accomplish goals by way of Blackhawk Technical College. 

Bennett graduated from Lawrence University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in history, and his plan for life was to become an archivist, possibly at a museum. But plans changed when he struggled to find a job, and instead, he became a preschool teacher at the Little Red Caboose, a former childcare center in Monroe.

“My initial plan derailed so I took a short course in early childhood education,” he said. He was a preschool teacher and assistant, also helping with the school age summer program for a few years. 

Then, he and his wife Amber started a family of their own and Bennett left teaching to become a stay at home parent after their second child was born. Amber is a data systems analyst for Mercyhealth in Janesville. 

His daughters, Omyra, Brianna and Kaylin are now age 5, 8 and 13. Being a stay at home parent was fulfilling for Bennett, despite it not being a part of his original plan. He said his youngest two daughters don’t know any different than always having Dad around.

“I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything,” he said. “It’s pretty great.”

But as his youngest daughter prepares to start school, Bennett has been thinking more about what he wants to do next. He considered going back into education — but it was his wife Amber who posed the question: what do you really want to do? 

That question made him dig deep and he changed his aspirations to homesteading. To start, he began on a path toward Blackhawk Technical College where he’s taking the agribusiness science and technology two-year course.

He had been out of school for 13 years when he started classes again, but Bennett said learning about online courses and other technology came quickly. He enjoys socializing with classmates and teachers and his successes have been a sign that he’s made the right choice.

“This last year has been one of the best years I’ve had in a long time,” he said.

Bennett has a goal to one day work in the agriculture industry, possibly in an administrative role for a company or organization to promote agriculture. He also hopes to have his own homesteading and sustainable living plan. 

To reach that goal, Bennett said he applies for any scholarships he can and when he saw the Mike Rowe Works scholarship pop up while watching “How it’s Made” with his daughter, he decided to go for it. 

The application process was fairly rigorous, and allowed applicants to demonstrate their work ethic. The eight-page application necessitated two essays, instructor and advisor recommendations, proof of financial aid, grades and even a video were required. Bennett said in his 45-60 second video, he talked about how important it was to say yes to opportunities that present themselves. 

He’ll receive $2,000 from the scholarship. He learned through email he was a winner and the money is earmarked for classes and books. 

“I was very happy and grateful I got it,” he said, noting that he’ll have no debt for the fall semester because of taking advantage of scholarship opportunities. He has one more year of school left.

Casey is no stranger to hard work and perseverance. At Blackhawk, he has assumed leadership roles in Professional Agriculture Students, an organization for students in the Agribusiness Program. In PAS, he has served as treasurer as well as the state representative. In the community, Bennett has led Modern Woodmen, a youth club, for four years. Under Casey’s leadership, the organization has earned premiere status for the last three years. 

“Casey is excelling academically and is taking full advantage of his education and other related opportunities at BTC,” said agribusiness and farm management instructor Dustin Williams. “Casey has a great work ethic and can-do attitude, and is a great representative of a role model student.”

Bennett also received scholarships from the Blackhawk Technical College Foundation GroMark for fall semester and a handful of others to help with school expenses. He also serves as the Wisconsin Technical College System as a student District Ambassador.

Bennett said he was in part drawn to the Mike Rowe scholarship because, although he enjoyed the show “Dirty Jobs” featuring him, he also agrees with the platform Rowe pushes. 

The Mike Rowe Works Foundation works to reconnect students with skilled trades, saying that “pop culture has glorified the ‘corner office job’ while unintentionally belittling the jobs that helped build the corner office.”

“We are seeing a lack of people that are trained for jobs that are available,” Bennett said, noting that 13 years ago he struggled finding a job with a humanities degree, but sees more opportunity with technical and vocational trades.

According to the Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation, “the Work Ethic Scholarship Program is about recognizing the people who understand the importance of personal responsibility, delayed gratification, a positive attitude, and, of course, work ethic.” The Foundation goes on to explain, “The hardworking men and women who keep the lights on, water running, and air flowing — the next generation of skilled workers who will work smart and hard. These are the folks we consider rock stars, and we want to reward them.”

“This was the best thing for me,” Bennett said. “I’ve adopted a ‘say yes’ attitude … over the last year or so, I’ve changed my thinking to be positive.” 

He said it was likely his children and his wife who pushed him to follow his dreams. 

“My kids did that for me — that, and the support of my wife. She’s a very positive thinking person,” he said.

As a recipient of the scholarship, Casey had to sign what Mike Rowe calls “The S.W.E.A.T. Pledge.” S.W.E.A.T. stands for “Skill and Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo.” The pledge has 12 principles included that outlines the importance of work ethic, personal responsibility, delayed gratification and a positive attitude. To learn more about The S.W.E.A.T. Pledge visit mikeroweworks.org/sweat/.