Gareth McCullough ’25 Takes on the World

What are your first memories of Bennington? 

I transferred to Bennington in the spring of my freshman year. I arrived in early February before any of the other students had returned. It was freezing cold. It was the last year of the more serious COVID protocols. I remember still having to take my lunch back to my room to eat. 

What did you study at Bennington? 

I mainly studied music. I play primarily electric bass and studied upright bass for three years, as well as composition, song writing, and performance. And, of course, many other things. I took a number of classes in things such as movement; society, culture, and thought; and Chinese culture and language — even though I don’t speak a word of Mandarin. I studied across all kinds of disciplines, but to me, it always came back to Zen practices.

What was studying music at Bennington like? 

I quickly found many ways to participate in the music community. I started going to music workshops, jamming with other musicians, and making friends through classes. In my sophomore year, I was the SEPC (Student Educational Policies Committee) representative for the music discipline, so I was an avid participant and leader in that space. Over my time at Bennington, I played in at least eight of my classmates’ senior shows, as well as many other smaller projects. 

Tell me about how you made your post-Bennington plan? 

I knew I wanted to travel once I was done with school, but I hadn't quite figured out how that was going to work. So I went into the Field Work Term and Career Development Office and sat down with [Associate Director] Sarah [Krinsky]. I had no appointment. I just showed up and said, “Hey, I've had this thought. What can I do?”

Sarah gave me some good things to start thinking about and set me down this path. She recommended I set up an appointment with John Holste. Since the first time that we met, he has been such a generous and thoughtful presence in the making of this plan. I think the number one thing that's been the most helpful for me has been accountability. My ADHD brain likes to make me wait until the end of a deadline to start getting things done. It has been helpful to have regular meetings with John. We met every three or so weeks, and that worked as a mini deadline to help keep the ball rolling. 

Wow. It seems great to have a guide in that way. 

John has a great ability to recognize. Right away he saw my introspective tendencies.  He would ask me questions to look deeper inward and help me find the answers I was looking for from within. And that was incredible. He helped me figure all of these plans out and helped me trust my gut. A lot of how I operate in this world is just through my instincts and seeing what draws me and where I end up. John gave me the reassurance that I needed. 

Now you are in Bulgaria! How did you get there? 

A friend told me about Workaway. They've got jobs all across the world, mostly volunteer work and smaller jobs. Right now I'm staying and working at a hostel here in Sofia, Bulgaria. I'm still settling in, getting more comfortable every day as I learn to navigate the streets of the city and maybe begin to wrap my head around it all. 

Life slows down when you're experiencing so many new things. Meeting people from all around the world, communicating with people with whom I don't share any common language, trying to read labels written in the Cyrillic script at the grocery store, living in a dorm with eighteen beds and little in the way of privacy, and much more. There is a lot of just figuring things out and taking life one step at a time.