USD School of Health Sciences Success Spotlight: Kacee Redden-Benz

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Kacee Redden-Benz

Degree: Master of Social Work, Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling & Prevention

Current Positions: Sexually Transmitted Infection Program Manager, SD Department of Health

Adjunct Instructor in Addiction Counseling and Prevention Program, University of South Dakota School of Health Sciences

By her own admission, Kacee Redden-Benz, originally from Faulkton, didn't have much direction when she entered the University of South Dakota as an undergraduate.

Knowing that she wanted to help people in some capacity, she settled on a psychology major. That turned out to be a pivotal decision.

"As soon as I took the introduction to alcohol and introduction to drug use courses, I immediately thought this is so fascinating," says Redden-Benz.

Redden-Benz had found her calling. She minored in addiction counseling and went on to earn both a Master of Social Work and a Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling & Prevention at the USD School of Health Sciences.

"There are very few addiction master’s programs and the University of South Dakota's is one of the top," says Redden-Benz.

Although she completed her entire master’s journey online, Redden-Benz says she always felt deeply connected to the program.

"Feeling connected makes you feel like your homework assignments matter, like you as a person matter," she says. "You matter to our profession. You are our future. We want to provide you with an education that will serve you in your future career."

Today, Redden-Benz is helping others make the leap into that career as an Adjunct Instructor in Addiction Counseling and Prevention at USD. She is also the Sexually Transmitted Infection Program Manager for the SD Department of Health.

"It really has been pretty eye opening for me to see what avenues are available with these degrees," she says. "I am now using many of  the micro-level skills I learned in my program at a macro level."