Learn more about Leah Benazzi, PhD, Senior Lecturer, School Psychology, through our Faculty Spotlight series.
Hometown: Chemainus, British Columbia. My mom is American, and my dad is Canadian, so I have dual citizenship, but I went to high school in Massachusetts and have spent most of my life in the US.
Describe your field of study in 1-2 sentences: I have worked for Beaverton School District as an applied school psychologist for 17 years. Prior to joining the UO school psychology faculty, I worked as behavior consultant, so my focus was on helping students with challenging behavior make progress in the special education and general education settings.
Favorite book or movie: For books, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is my current favorite and I have always loved Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. For movies, Good Will Hunting.
Hobbies: Crossword puzzles! I love them. They are so soothing to my brain. I also love to read and to spend time with my kids who are 16, 13, and 11.
What brought you to the University of Oregon?
After finishing my undergrad degree at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, when I was looking for doctoral programs, UO caught my attention. I was drawn to the research capacity of the College of Education as well as the strength of the faculty and the amazing funding support they were receiving. All of that allowed me to attend as a doctoral student, even at the age of 22, and know that I would be working with top researchers with lots of opportunities. After finishing my PhD, I started working in Beaverton. Over my amazing 17-year career with Beaverton School District, I transitioned from being a school psychologist to being a behavior consultant, and now have recently transitioned to teaching for the UO School Psychology program in Portland. This is the first year that School Psychology has had a presence in Portland, so it has been exciting to be part of that.
Why did you feel drawn to your field of study?
Some of my experiences in school, particularly moving from Canada to the US, were not very smooth. I’m from an extremely rural town on Vancouver Island and was lacking support in some areas. When my family moved to the US and I entered school in Massachusetts, my skills were low, and I wasn’t meeting certain expectations. The school psychologist that I worked with in elementary school was a big help to me. She recognized that, while I had some issues I needed to work through, I had potential, and I just needed some support. When I finished my undergraduate degree and considered what career path I wanted to take, I thought back on that experience and how impactful it had been. I knew I wanted to find a graduate program that would enable me to help kids.
How do you hope your work makes an impact?
I feel like I have made a concrete impact on many students’ lives through my years working in a school setting. Now, with this transition to teaching at the College of Education, I hope to build capacity for future school psychologists, particularly in Portland where I’m based. UO has never had a Portland cohort for our school psychology students before this year, and I’m excited that these students will be able to work on sites, during the program and beyond, here in the Portland area. It’s exciting to see the program grow and impact a greater number of students across the state and I’m glad I can be part of that.
What message would you like to share with students considering coming to the College of Education?
For students who are thinking about a career in school psychology, I would encourage them to consider their commitment to helping students with diverse needs. In this field, we support students who are coming with different skill sets, who speak different languages, who have all kinds of family circumstances and differences. Consider whether you are really committed to doing what it takes to help those students. If you are, then this is the place for you.
What do you love about Oregon?
I love the temperate climate. I love that I’ve been able to build a home here. Growing up, I didn’t really feel like I had a hometown, so I feel really connected to Oregon because this is where I’ve built my family and my career. I love the welcoming and open culture here and people’s willingness to accept differences and I see that positively impacting my family and my kids. In Portland, there is also this amazing emphasis on nature and good food—my kids’ school lunches are healthier than what I eat! The UO Portland campus has been tremendously accepting and welcoming of me and all our school psychology students as we work our way through this transitional year. Everyone at the White Stag building has been outstanding—Jane Gordon, Sarah Kutten, Miriam White-Pedeaux, Doug Burzell and so many others. It is a great community to join!