In the wake of Monday's Boston Marathon bombings, Berklee student is haunted by several images: a tennis shoe blown in half; massive amounts of glass and blood; and the scared look on her coworker's face. These were among the things she saw moments after the second bomb was detonated outside Forum restaurant at 755 Boylston Street, where Benjamin was working a shift.
Benjamin, a fourth-semester songwriting major from Billings, Montana, would have been outside on the restaurant's patio waiting tables when the bomb went off had she not dashed upstairs minutes before to bring some dishes to the dish pit in the kitchen. It was there that she heard the two explosions, which occurred just about a hundred yards and moments apart near the marathon finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 170 others.
The restaurant's windows blew out and the patio guests began screaming, she recalls. Fueled by adrenaline and her natural instincts to help others, Benjamin sprung into action. She ushered patrons in the upstairs dining room through the kitchen and down the back stairway the main stairway was blocked by people lying on the ground and outside to a back alley away from the mayhem on Boylston Street.
Downstairs, the scene was grim. People were lying on the floor in glass and blood. Some people had deep lacerations in their legs and one girl was missing a foot. Some people were taking their shirts off and using them as tourniquets. And I saw a tennis shoe blown in half, perfectly divided, Benjamin recalls.
Along with her coworkers, Benjamin went into triage mode, grabbing linens from the basement to help assist the injured patrons until police ordered everyone to exit the premises and declared it a crime scene.
But Benjamin would be called on once more for assistance that day. While heading home toward her apartment by Berklee, she encountered a marathon runner from Canada who was looking for his eight-month-pregnant wife, another runner. Benjamin let him use her phone and helped the man locate his wife at the Back Bay MBTA station. Seeing them reunite was difficult but a bright spot in the afternoon, Benjamin says. They were sobbing and holding each other, she says.
Benjamin brushes aside any characterization of her actions as brave. I wasn't trying to be brave, she says. I had so much adrenaline and I didn't know what to do with it.
She notes that while after she was concerned there would be another bombing incident, the need to help people outweighed that. I find comfort in working with people. I do a lot of volunteer work and I have a deep passion for people. That was really shining through that day, says Benjamin, who volunteers at Rosie's Place in Boston and has also volunteered at a homeless shelter in San Francisco, worked as a counselor at a camp for disabled youth in Montana, and worked with refugees in Phoenix.
In the aftermath of what transpired on Monday, Benjamin says the events seem to blur together. I'm still processing that it's a reality, she says.
She is comforted by the outpouring of support from the Berklee community, especially her classmates and professors. It's been a godsend, she says. Benjamin is encouraging her fellow classmates to share what they experienced that day, noting that telling these stories is important to heal as a community.
As part of that healing, it's also important to focus on community support rather than anger over the bombings. Anger is not what's going to fix this, she says. It's just a matter of being there for each other.
As a songwriter, Benjamin says that ultimately she will likely express what she experienced and witnessed through song, but that it's too soon. It's just a matter of letting it come through, letting the muse come to me.
For now, Benjamin who has plans to visit her native Montana to spend some time with family and friends is going to do her part to raise money for Boston relief, donating 8 percent of the money she raises to fund a summer internship in Nashville.
Around campus, Benjamin's classmates are responding to Monday's bombings in various ways.
The Berklee Student Government Association has plans to collect thank-you notes for the public safety personnel deployed around Berklee and Berklee CARES made a Berklee Loves Boston banner and hosted a memorial event in the caf on Wednesday afternoon. According to student Shilpa Ananth, who has offered her own home as refuge to those displaced as a result of the bombings, many students recorded covers of Sarah McLachlan's Angel and posted them to their Facebook pages.
-------------------
Berklee has been closed since the attacks on Monday. Please visit our alerts page for the latest updates.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
05/05/2026
SVG is proud to announce Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Studios in Atlant...
05/05/2026
With no operator required, AutoMic workflow automates talent identification on U...
05/05/2026
A crash in 2015 set the industry back, but this winter proved that drones are he...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
L3Harris provides communications, electronic warfare, sensors and mission systems that enable Virginia-class submarine crews to operate with confidence in conte...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
In the wake of Monday's Boston Marathon bombings, Berklee student is haunted by several images: a tennis shoe blown in half; massive amounts of glass and blood; and the scared look on her coworker's face. These were among the things she saw moments after the second bomb was detonated outside Forum restaurant at 755 Boylston Street, where Benjamin was working a shift.
