“I was Bennett’s faculty advisor at Harvard on two internships: the MIT Media Lab and the MIT App Inventor team. Both of these are world-class groups that demand high levels of creative performance. They also ask interns to co-structure their role and responsibilities. Bennett was terrific in these settings, taking full advantage of the opportunity to learn from these groups and to deeply impress them with his knowledge and skills. It has truly been a pleasure to mentor Bennett, and his focus on melding visual design with learning design is a major contribution to the field.”
- Chris Dede

“I met Mr. Nestok at a conference and had the opportunity to discuss his paper after the presentation. I was very impressed with the contents of his presentation and with the clarity and accessibility of the materials. I found his presentation to be original and engaging. I would offer Mr. Nestok a position, if one were available.”
- Salvatore Attardo

“Bennett is simply one of those guys you want on your team. I was most impressed by his work ethic and eagerness to learn. Bennett was always looking to take on as many Design projects as he could, and he compiled some significantly productive semesters with us. Bennett had the insight and skill set to solve design problems on his own, while staying within the bounds of our Marketing Team’s direction. There’s no doubt in my mind that Bennett possesses the curiosity and determination that one needs for continual growth as a Design professional, and I’m excited to see where his career path takes him!”
- Andrew Woods

“Bennett was the Director of Digital Media for UC's Innovation Initiative. His design speed and design thinking really set him apart from designers we have had in the past. Every time he produced marketing materials, logos, and other items they were impressive quality. Whenever there is a design job on campus, Bennett is always my first recommendation.”
- Evan Cohen

“I had the sincere pleasure of serving as Bennett’s thesis chair for his project “Uninhibited Ideation: Childhood Games as Design Methods.” Throughout this project, as well as in his earlier time as an undergraduate student, Bennett has displayed a dedicated work ethic with an extremely positive, respectful attitude. His respect for academia coupled with his interesting ideas and divergent thinking bode well for his future plans to become a professor. With his thesis project, Bennett has created a beautiful work of design research in its true form. In other words, research underpins a hypothesis and study that is tested THROUGH, FOR, and INTO Design (in reference to Sir Christopher Frayling’s 'Research in Art and Design'). I highly recommend anyone interested in bolstering their creative thinking and process to read Bennett’s thesis paper and implement childlike thinking into their design methods!”
- Emily Fischer

“I managed Bennett as my intern at athenahealth. Two terms summarize my impression of his talent and contribution: 1) Imagination – When intrigued by an idea, Bennett was known for taking it upon himself to push our thinking further. On his own, he pursued research on the topic and explored a wide range of concepts. He demonstrated an exceptional ability to access and develop inventive and deeply compelling ideas. His raw, generative talent afforded our team with fresh thinking and inspiration. 2) Critical Thinking – In my experience Bennett deeply considered every problem he was confronted with. He took each challenge seriously and followed a human-centered approach, considering the needs of end users first. From those needs Bennett would extract a range of opportunities. Notably, he often questioned his own assumptions and looked to our leadership for guidance in his thinking. I believe Bennett would bring limitless creativity, a penchant for deep analysis and curiosity that would delight any design lead.”
- Eric Bailey

“As Bennett’s former instructor in Special Topics in Career Decision Making I can recommend him with great confidence. As an instructor in a University serving 45,000 students it is rare to remember a student longer than the quarter they are seated in front of you. Bennett made a wonderful impression, not just because he is a diligent student but because he seriously pursued information to ensure that he wasn’t following a whim to go into an art field just because he enjoyed it. He wanted to be sure that he was making good, solid choices as he moved forward with his college career. On top of that he is a good student, completes his work on time, is attentive and interactive in class, and has a sense of humor that adds to any situation! It is exciting to see how far Bennett has come in such a short while! I would be happy to recommend Bennett to you.”
- Theresa Aberle

“In my six years as a student in DAAP, I had the pleasure to work with Bennett on many projects. These projects were the most creative, innovative, and in-depth projects I have worked on in my career as a designer. Bennett’s knowledge of design and methods of research push the limit of any problem he faces. He has a knack for design and for helping people. He takes problems head-on and always comes up with a great idea. It has been a pleasure working with Bennett throughout my time in DAAP, and I would not be the designer I am today without getting the opportunity to work with him and learn from him.”
- Patrick Fitzgerald

“I had the pleasure of working with Bennett both on our interaction design team, and as a student at the University of Cincinnati. During Bennett’s time with our team, he showcased a unique ability to quickly change focus and address projects from multiple points of view. Bennett’s willingness to change perspectives, and his propensity for thorough research made him a great asset to our team. Bennett consistently brings new ideas to the table and challenges established intellectual norms in thought provoking fashion.”
- Bob Kelley

“I worked with Bennett in the Interaction Design Department at Crown Equipment during his four months here. He is extremely curious and perceptive! He has a very unique sense of humor and is always a pleasure to work with on projects. Bennett has the rare ability to quickly change pace and focus on several projects in order to support various team member in their roles. His willingness to ask questions and ability to view any problem from a multitude of perspectives have been a significant benefit to our department. Bennett will be an excellent addition to any organization that is lucky enough to hire him.”
- Rodrigo Colin