This week our featured teacher is Benji Oliver. Benji grew up in the Napa Valley where his father worked as an OB/GYN in the city of Napa, while St. Helena was the hometown for the family. Benji’s mother left her nursing career to homeschool Benji and his siblings from grade 1 through grade 12.
Benji began his college education at Pacific Union College, not far from his home. It was at PUC that Benji met his future wife, Elizabeth, in orchestra class. It was during this first year of college that Benji decided he wanted to be a teacher. He spent the next year studying abroad in Argentina. Upon returning from Argentina, Benji transferred to Southern Adventist University in Tennessee. After the first semester there, he transferred again to Walla Walla University in Washington. (It’s possible Elizabeth’s presence at Walla Walla may have had something to do with this.)
Benji graduated from Walla Walla University with his Bachelor's degree in June of 2015, and shortly afterward he and Elizabeth were married. They spent their first two years together in the Loma LInda area where Liz was finishing up her Physical Therapy degree. Benji worked as a substitute teacher in the San Bernardino County School District as well as local Seventh-day Adventist schools in the area.
After Liz’s graduation, they both had the opportunity to find work in the Ukiah Valley. This was a homecoming for Liz as she grew up attending UJA and graduated from Rio Lindo Adventist Academy in Healdsburg. Benji was hired as the 2nd grade teacher in 2017 and has been here ever since. Over the last 10 years he has had various grade responsibilities ranging from 2nd through 4th. Benji and Liz have two boys, Will was born in 2021 and Harry in 2024.
Early in his college career Benji considered going into the ministry and becoming a pastor. He also seriously thought about nursing as well. I asked him what moved him to go into education and become a teacher. He told me that so many of his friends and acquaintances did not have positive male role models or fathers and he felt like teaching would give him the opportunity to be that role model for those children in his classroom who needed one. Over the more than six years that I have worked with Mr. Oliver, he has worked hard on his craft. He completed his Masters Degree and continually strived to be the best teacher possible. He is, without a doubt, the fun loving, positive male role model that he hoped he could be when he chose this calling. God has blessed this school and we are all blessed to have Mr. Oliver as a part of our school community.
God bless,
Rick Nelson
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