Alumni Spotlight - Shani Binyamin

Shani Binyamin - Class of 2018

After graduating from Haut-Lac in 2018, my path unfolded through exploration, play, uncertainty and following what felt meaningful. I began studying environmental science at Eckerd University in Florida, curious about how people live in relation to the world around them. During this time, I lived and worked on an off-grid farm in Puerto Rico and later spent a semester in Peru – experiences that taught me about community, interdependence and how much growth happens outside our comfort zones. I also discovered distance running and completed three marathons, each offering lessons in endurance and presence.

Over time, I realized I was most drawn to the human side of these questions – how people make sense of their lives, cope and feel connected. I switched to a double major in psychology and sociology, finally finding language for the questions I’d been carrying.

I then moved to California to complete a master’s in Positive Organizational Psychology and Evaluation at Claremont Graduate University, joining research labs and examining questions of meaning, purpose and well-being.

My work explored how transcendence supports purpose development and how gardening can help older adults face mortality with greater acceptance. I also worked as a teaching assistant and consulted with organizations on strategies to enhance purpose and well-being, strengthening my understanding of how people grow through challenge across the lifespan.

Around this time, I interned with a company running therapy trials, which expanded my interest in existential questions, Jungian ideas and symbolic, embodied healing.

These experiences led me to my current path as a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England. I’m now in my second year, completing a practicum at a high school where I provide therapy and assessment. I truly cherish this work and feel grateful to walk alongside people in their journeys.

Alongside my clinical work, I stay creative by making clothes, jewelry, prints and traveling when I can. These rhythms keep me grounded in intuition and imagination and reflect the values I bring into therapy: patience, presence and helping people feel at home in themselves.

To those still at Haut-Lac or beyond, my advice is that your path doesn’t need to be linear. Let your life unfold in unexpected ways. It’s okay to be scared and do it anyway. Wishing you a meaningful year and the courage, playfulness and care to step into whatever comes next.

Haut-Lac Alumni Magazine