Pamelyn Bennett’s Journey, from Marriott to Harvard Law School

When Pamelyn Bennett began working at the National Airport Marriott Hotel, in Washington, D.C., she checked in a foreign family whom she remembers as “very brusque—they just wanted their room.” When Bennett, now an event operations coordinator at Harvard Law School, learned they were there for a family funeral, she “decided to make a few phone calls and get a little bit of help for them,” arranging a driver and providing groceries. Then-CEO Bill Marriott personally thanked Bennett for her exceptional hospitality, but such service comes naturally to her. Born and raised in Peabody, Massachusetts, she spent much of her childhood at Temple Beth Shalom, where her mother directed the preschool and where Bennett saw community members supporting each other in times of need. At George Washington University, she studied psychology (and played one year of tennis). She planned to attend law school—she “aspired to go to” HLS—but fell in love with that front-desk job, which she’d envisioned as merely a gap year. She spent 30 years with Marriott, rising up the sales executive ranks and eventually moving back to Massachusetts, where her son, Michal, was born. His name alone lights up her face. He’s now a commercial pilot, but does not travel just for work: he, Bennett, and her mom have visited some two dozen countries together. In 2022, Bennett joined the law school, where she coordinates every student-organized event. She always stops by the events before they begin so students know they didn’t just “book something through the computer.” In return, they call her their school mom or fairy godmother, and awarded her the Suzanne L. Richardson staff appreciation award at HLS Class Day this past May. Finally at HLS, though not as she first imagined, Bennett says she’s happier than ever: “Had I known about this job 30 years ago, I would have worked here for 30 years.”