Marco Cervantes

Master Sergeant David Benoit

Here at Ike there are a lot of programs and that have some pretty awesome people running them. But none compare to one of the leaders of the ROTC program here at Ike, Master Sergeant David Benoit. 

Born in Louisiana he attended Crowly Louisiana High “I wasn’t one of the best students in high school” he said describing his high school experience. But in his down time he would enjoy watching smokey and the bandit and enjoying the musical “The Whiz” with Michael Jackson. 

Once out of high school he enlisted in the marine corps and served for 21 and a half years. During his time in the marine corps he balanced his job as a combat cook in the mornings while attending night school as a student. He was experiencing life as a father working hard graduating with his associates degree from SBVC (San Bernardino Valley College), progressing onto getting his bachelor’s from Columbia University later on earning his teaching credentials from UCR. 

He has been teaching for 17 years. His motivation being influenced by coaches and wanting to be an influential figure for kids. 13 of those years have been at Ike or as he calls it one of the top 3 schools in this district. He chose to teach ROTC because it aligned with his profession and his experiences knowing the marine core inside and out and having the opportunity to come here he decided to come and teach kids the way of the corps and how it would be in the service. 

The most rewarding part of his job is seeing the kids come and grow. The worst part of his job would have to be dealing  with miscommunications between parents and students. He handles his daily stress by not bringing work home and not bringing home to work. 

With this being his last year he would like to let his students  know that he learns new things each year from each student and you’re never too old to learn new things.