Maya Benedict ’17

My life is more than just my work. Being at Mac set me up to be a lifelong learner.

Maya Benedict ’17

I currently administer a group of food- and agriculture-related grants put out by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and funded through state appropriations. This means fielding questions about programs, troubleshooting with grantees on their projects, writing contracts, and keeping the grant cycle going—from requests for proposals to reviewer scoring of applications to processing reimbursements.

I had worked at the St. Paul Meat Shop through my later college years and for a few years afterwards, and I loved talking to people about food. I found butchery creative, and I enjoyed learning how to understand what people need, make them feel like they’re being listened to, and communicate effectively. What I do now is much the same because problem-solving is about listening; it’s just that now I’m helping people and organizations that need money for particular activities figure out which grant programs are right for them and helping to ensure their projects succeed.

At the same time, this was a big career shift. When I was ready for a next step, I thought back to what had most excited me about my Mac experience. International Studies had focused my attention on rural public health, and I realized that my international public health class, which I loved, was the first time I felt connected to course material. Public service appealed to me, and going in this direction seemed like it would also draw on my interests in food and my rural upbringing. So I applied to the U (of Minnesota) for an MPH in Public Health Administration and Policy. Over the course of the program, I got two research internships, one in in meat-processing workforce development and another in health data research.

The overlaps between my experiences might make it seem that mine has been a linear journey, but so much of the value of Mac was about exposing me to new experiences. I had great internships, one with the Red Cross, another with the Council on American Islamic relations. I was on the club hockey team. I took printmaking classes I adored. During those four years at Mac, I sometimes felt like everyone had a plan except me. But what’s important is that I learned how to think and how to learn. I got such an academic and personal education that’s serving me well. Mac showed me that even when you are setting up a path, you can always make different choices.

Last updated: November 2025