Debbi Bennett has always lived by the sentiment expressed in the W. Clement Stone quote, “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” As an Optical Dispensing instructor for American Career College, she challenges and inspires her students to pursue their professional dreams with passion and purpose. Indeed, Debbi’s love for teaching – combined with the well-equipped classrooms and advanced equipment and materials ACC provides – prepares her students for satisfying careers in the optical dispensing field of health care.
Outside the classroom, Debbi shares her knowledge and enthusiasm of space exploration with children who have stars in their eyes…much like she did as a girl. “My father worked for the space program, and his love for his job and the stories he would tell me convinced me I wanted to be an astronaut,” Debbi says. But her less-than-perfect eyesight put Debbi on a different life orbit, but never kept her from learning all she could about space exploration and then sharing her knowledge and excitement with others.
Debbi’s extensive volunteer activities include the Orange County Space Society, which hosts NASA-affiliated events that enable children to meet current and former astronauts, as well as the Sally Ride Science Festival, where she speaks to young girls on the topic, “What a Little Lens Can Do.” Debbi also helps keep the outdoors beautiful by collecting trash with the South Orange County Nature Club, and volunteers as a reader with the Braille Institute. Aiming for the moon, Debbi believes, begins with a well-grounded concern for those around you.