July 7, 2025

Sebenele "Sbobo" Ndlangamandla ’21 has come full circle at Bennington. Once a student navigating her own transformative journey, she now serves as a Student Success Specialist and First-Year Counselor, helping others thrive during their college years. 

AN UNLIKELY PLAN 

For Sbobo, discovering Bennington was almost accidental. After graduating from the United World College in Singapore, Sbobo returned to Swaziland [now Eswatini] for a gap year, during which a supportive conversation with Admissions helped her secure financial aid and begin her journey at Bennington. 

Her first day on campus was anything but conventional. “When I got here I was frazzled, confused, and overwhelmed by everything,” Sbobo remembered, laughing. “But Kate Child [Associate Dean for Academic Services] really helped me feel more stable and at home.” Despite the disorienting initial transition, Sbobo soon found her footing thanks to this type of warmth from the community, which became a model for her to emulate in her current role. “I wanted to offer that same experience to students,” she said. 

BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH CONNECTION, WORK, AND INQUIRY 

Sbobo’s sense of belonging at Bennington was shaped as much by her student employment on campus as by her studies. Roles in the Dining Hall, Post Office, and as a House Chair for Welling and Paran Creek fostered lasting connections and developed her passion for supporting diverse students. “The Post Office is my favorite place on campus,” she says, noting that she and Postal Clerk Tracy Provensal are very close and carpool to work together every day. 

In quintessential Bennington fashion, Sbobo invested time into learning and understanding the ways in which people can be different and the same and how she could support folks accordingly. “I took classes on American Conservatism,” she explained. “I took a class on mass incarceration and how it affects people. How laws are made in this country.” Her studies were also bolstered by meeting students who had different experiences from her own, such as one who was homeschooled. “I now have a familiarity that I am able to bring into my work if I have a homeschooled student who comes in for counseling.” 

FINDING HER PATH AND PEOPLE THROUGH A NEW LENS 

A fateful scheduling twist changed Sbobo’s initial plan to study psychology. “One term there were no psych classes offered that I hadn’t taken,” she shared. “So I took a digital photo foundations class with faculty member Elizabeth White.” That experience made photography the core of her Plan, sparking creativity and lasting friendships. She now underscores to students the magic and relationships that develop when you create a community with people who share your interests. 

MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION 

In her student-facing role, Sbobo offers her tips and resources from her own years as a student, which translates into a deep and empathetic understanding for navigating Bennington’s curriculum and Plan Process. When students bring her overly ambitious schedules, she laughs, “No, you can’t do this— many have tried!” 

Sbobo views her role as a way to offer the stability and guidance she once received. “With the students I work with, it’s about doing the best with what you have,” she explained. “I work with a lot of neurodivergent students who don’t necessarily feel like they belong in this space. I think about how these institutions were built for neurotypical, strong, white students. For people who this place was not built for, how can we bring our experiences and the way our minds work? Passing classes definitely is what I want students to do, but are they showing up for themselves? How much are they getting from their classes? I want students to get the highest value out of the classes they take. That, to me, is success.” 

REFLECTING ON RESOURCES AND SUPPORT 

Reflecting on her student years, Sbobo emphasizes the importance of using campus resources, a lesson she now imparts to others as an academic counselor. Sbobo did well as a student but mused out loud how much better she may have done if she had investigated more of the school’s many support structures. “We are doing that work in our department to get resources to students and make sure people know what’s available,” she said. Sbobo didn’t work with an academic counselor consistently when she was a student. Now working regularly with students, she sees how much consistent support improves their experience and often reflects, “I wish I’d had myself as a counselor!” 

Sbobo is also a major advocate and ally for FLoW, a student organization that focuses on First Generation, Low Income and/or Working Class students. “One of my biggest accomplishments with FLoW has been advocating for funding to keep the Little Extras Pantry consistently stocked with basic food items that any student facing food insecurity can access,” she said. “I have two interns who run programming and they have been great at creating community for our FLoW students, and making sure that there’s an awareness of their experiences.” 

The support Sbobo now provides is highly reciprocated to this day. “I just generally believe in Bennington and love this institution, which feels very cheesy for a job,” she said. “Being at Convocation at the beginning of the term, listening to all these people speak about their work, being themselves and being brilliant…. I appreciate being in a place like this, the ideal of Bennington, and people’s hard work making it what it is. It feels good to work in a place that you believe in.”