From her favorite high school experience in “Out of the Blue” Acapella group and social science classes, to a future career in corrections – Madeline Mallgrave’s career path post graduation stemmed from her experiences at Bennington High School.

A BHS graduate from the class of 2019, Mallgrave is now wrapping up her senior year of college pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Ethics and Public Policy at the University of Iowa. As Mallgrave reflects, she finds her educational background from BHS played a vital role in steering her down this career path.

“My education and experiences at BHS helped to prepare me for college with time management skills and being able to balance my education, employment, and extracurricular activities. The social science classes, like government and psychology, helped me find things that I was passionate about and gave me a basic understanding of concepts that I would build off of in my college classes,” said Mallgraves. 

She currently has a job in corrections as a Residential Officer and also as a Human Resources Specialist part of the Iowa Army National Guard. Mallgrave earned a spot on the Commandant’s List upon graduation of Advanced Individual Training during her military training, and is a strong advocate for encouraging others to follow in her footsteps.

“My advice to current BHS students is to consider joining a branch of the military to help pay for school. It is beneficial because you have the ability to learn valuable skills as well as network through the many people you will meet within the organization,” said Mallgrave.

After Mallgrave graduates from college, she plans to continue working in the Department of Corrections, moving in the direction of a Probation/Parole Officer.