Finding Your Why - Benjamin Righter

“You are entertaining, but that’s not enough…”

As he walked off of the stage, those words reverberated through his mind. These are the words that were shared with Benjamin by the judges years ago, when he auditioned at Northeast regionals for American Idol.

As we sat in his car and he shared this story with me, I recall telling Benjamin, “We all have a gift that was given to us, and you were fortunate enough to discover yours at a young age. Most of us are not. Sometimes, we have to meet God halfway and do our part to turn our dreams into reality. No dream realized will come without sacrifice…. So what do you want to do, and who do you want to be? If you know that, then you have to take a step back and map out everything that it will take to get you there.”

Those words, coupled with his own passion for music and desire to maximize his gift, drove him to continue to pursue his dream… to FIND HIS WHY.

‘My love for music is like breathing” says Benjamin. “It’s something that is interwoven in my DNA, and can’t be silenced, stifled, or put in a box.”

The rejection was difficult, but it provided fuel to fine tune his craft, refocus and redirect his energy into enhancing himself holistically… both as an artist and a person.

Benjamin went on a personal journey to redefine himself. He wasn’t happy with his physical appearance, so he started exercising consistently, and vigorously. He wanted to hone his musical gift, so he started writing more material, recording songs, and hired producers – and slowly, the makings of his first project began to materialize.

As his body and craft developed, so did his confidence and belief in himself. Without a manager, he created his own press kit, website, and other promotional materials. He networked and made integral connections, booking himself gigs and eventually opening up for artists such as Trey Songz, the Dream, Keisha Cole, Brandy, 112… just to name a few.

When his first album was complete, entitled “My Reflection”, Benjamin was like a machine – making appearances all over the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, and selling his album both locally and internationally, with notable success.
“You have to continue to pursue your dream, because it YOURS”, says Benjamin. “What anyone else believes doesn’t matter, because if you don’t believe in yourself and what you are capable of, no one else will.”
During the journey to FINDING HIS WHY, Benjamin has lost over 100 lbs., and has continued to grow as an artist, releasing multiple singles such as his most recent smash single, “It’s Always Been You”, which has being downloaded all over the country on multiple platforms.

Many times (actually, MOST times in life), people don’t have the foresight to see the butterfly in its chrysalis – they can only see what’s in front of them – the caterpillar. ~fin~

CEO and Founder of The Bernard Group, Gregory Bernard is the Director of Alumni Relations for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Connecticut, specializing in alumni leadership development, volunteer cultivation, affinity group management, and program logistics/execution.

With over 10 years of experience in student and alumni affairs combined, Gregory has sat on the ‘Crossroads in Communication’ panel hosted by Southern Connecticut State University, on several occasions, and received certification in Conflict Resolution and Mediation Training at the annual Donald D. Gehrig Competency Seminar at ASCA (Academy for Student Conduct Administrators).

He has been a featured speaker for seminars on leadership, diversity, advanced communication techniques, and career preparation.

Gregory earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Organizational Communication and Management from Southern Connecticut State University and Central Connecticut State University, respectively.
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