From All-American to First-Year Navigator

By Braeden Jones

OLIVET, Mich. — Benyamin Kamali is a man with strong ties to Olivet. He and his two older brothers graduated from Olivet. He was an athlete here, and now he’s a First-Year Success Navigator here. But Ben has a unique story, one that shows how important Olivet is to him.

Ben was a wrestler in high school and committed to continuing his athletic and academic career at the University of Virginia.

“I ended up getting injured there. And when I was injured, I kind of couldn’t compete, and I couldn’t be an athlete anymore. So when you took that away, the biggest part of my identity was my family, so I wanted to come home a little bit,” Kamali said.

Kamali decided to attend Albion College, but he didn’t enjoy his experience there. Just a half hour away, though, his brothers were at Olivet College, so he decided to give college one last try with his family by his side.

“So it was kind of just like ‘All right, last try, you know, might as well just go there. Don’t even focus on wanting to be an athlete, just finishing your degree,'” said Kamali.

Kamali ended up competing at Olivet and was able to help the Comets win the MIAA Championship and qualify for nationals, where he was named an All-American. He graduated with a degree in Sociology. He returned to Olivet this year as a First-Year Success Navigator. Kamali also continues to help out the wrestling team as a volunteer coach.

“You know, when you get certain people that have a desire and a mentality to work with college-age men and women, and particularly with his interest in psychology and sociology, and then getting to mentor kids as a navigator, it fit right in that realm for him. So I think that was awesome that he got the job,” said head wrestling coach Brandon Brissette.

Being a First-Year Success Navigator means that Ben helps freshmen transition into college and provides them with the resources to be successful during their first year.

“Ben is unique in the way he is positive and can connect with students with him being younger. And if he also has an issue with a student, he will find a way to address it,” said freshman Claire Williams.

Ben is currently continuing his schooling to get his master’s in clinical counseling.

“I enjoy it. The students are great, and it’s another way to kind of give back on a deeper level,” said Kamali.