“Scholarships Gave Me a Second Chance”: How Support Helped Madelyn Benoit Reclaim Her Future at 63
Madelyn Denise Savoie-Benoit isn’t your typical college senior. At 63 years old, she walks the halls of McNeese State University with quiet determination, a lifetime of wisdom behind her and her eyes fixed on a dream she refused to give up on.
Her goal is to graduate in Spring 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in general studies with a concentration in art, and to use that education to help others heal, just as she has. But for a long time, that dream felt out of reach.
“I was ready to let it go,” Madelyn said. “I thought maybe I’d just finish up my art classes and not worry about the degree. I couldn’t afford it anymore. I was at the end of my rope.”
That all changed when she opened her email and saw a message from the Women’s Commission congratulating her on receiving a scholarship. Then another award followed. And then a third.
“I cried,” she recalled. “I felt like God was telling me, ‘You’re not done yet. I’m making a way for you.’ That’s what the scholarships did. They made a way.”
Before receiving financial support, Madelyn could only afford to take one class per semester. She worked part-time, commuted to campus from Jennings, and managed other responsibilities, all while trying to stay focused on her degree. Her advisor told her that, at that pace, she was still six years away from graduating.
“I wanted to finish so badly,” she said. “But without help, it just wasn’t possible. My budget was already stretched thin with gas, materials, and everyday expenses. I didn’t even apply for scholarships at first, I just didn’t think I’d qualify.”
But she did. And with that support, everything changed. This past spring, Madelyn took three classes. In the fall, she’s enrolled in four. For the first time in years, graduation feels within reach.
Madelyn’s path to McNeese has been anything but traditional. She first started college in the 1980s but stepped away to raise her family and later returned while working with Big Brothers Big Sisters and AmeriCorps. Life always came first. But then came two tragedies that changed her forever: in 2017, she lost her oldest grandson in a motorcycle accident. In 2020, her younger grandson died in a car crash.
“I didn’t want to live,” she said. “The depression, the pain, it was too much.”
Something began to shift when she started painting. “I found therapy in art,” she said. “It gave me a voice when I had no words. When I paint, I pray. That’s how I survived.”
Art gave her more than healing; it gave her purpose. Now, she hopes to become a licensed art therapist and pursue her master’s in counseling, using creative expression to reach those who feel unseen, unheard, or unworthy. Her dream is to work with young girls and nonverbal children, helping them navigate trauma and grief in ways that words sometimes can’t.
Along the way, Madelyn has mentored dozens of young women as a Girl Scout leader, youth pastor assistant, and art instructor at the Zigler Museum. Her encouragement often plants the first seeds of belief in someone who’s never had it.
“I tell the girls I mentor, ‘You are not meant to fit in, you are meant to stand out,’” she said. “That’s what I needed to hear growing up. Now I get to be that voice for someone else.”
Madelyn was selected as a recipient of the Women’s Commission Scholarship, which supports nontraditional students who are Louisiana residents and upperclassmen with a minimum 3.0 GPA. The scholarship, which began in partnership with the McNeese Foundation in 2009, is awarded annually to those who meet these criteria and students like Madelyn, who have the passion and perseverance to return to college later in life.
Scholarship support has done more than relieve a financial burden. It has allowed Madelyn to truly live the message she’s always preached to others. “It reminded me that I matter,” she said. “That someone believes in me. That someone sees my worth.”
As part of one of her art courses, Madelyn created a self-portrait titled Redeemed, which reflects her journey to self-acceptance. Growing up in a religious environment that frowned upon even wearing red nail polish, Madelyn spent much of her life hiding parts of herself. Now, her painting, rich in red tones, symbolizes confidence, power, and emotional healing.
“Painting helped me learn to love myself,” she said. “It helped me remember that I am not a cheap copy, I’m a masterpiece.”
Even as she manages the demands of school, work, and tutoring (particularly for math, which she hadn’t studied since the early ’90s), Madelyn continues to inspire those around her. “Anybody can do easy,” she laughed. “But if you want something, you have to push. And now, I have people pushing with me.”
Her story is living proof of the power of second chances and what scholarship support can do when placed in the hands of someone determined to make a difference.
“I always told the girls I mentored, ‘It’s never too late to become who you were meant to be,’” she said. “Now I get to live that out. And because of these scholarships, I finally believe it for myself.”
If you would like to help students like Madelyn reach their goal of a college education, contact the McNeese Foundation at 337-475-5588 or mcneesefoundation@mcneese.edu.
