Interviewing musician Jeff Gutt

By Ainsley McMahon • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Dec. 1, 2022

I had the opportunity to interview Jeff Gutt, the lead singer in Stone Temple Pilots. Jeff was into music from a young age and he just knew one day that music was going to consume him, but he still went to school and actually aspired to become a doctor, but something just kept pulling him toward music. 

“Music is the ocean, you get to ride the wave, but if you disrespect it, it can hurt you,” he said.

“So many people in the music business crash and burn because they don’t enter the business for the right reasons. If you don’t have the love for music and you are doing it just for the fame and money, you will be chewed and spit back out very quickly.”

A little back story on Jeff Gutt: He was actually a runner-up on the show “The X Factor” and was first recognized on the show by singing a song called “Hallelujah,” but he made it into his own version. Before this, the reason he even auditioned was because he found out he had an 8-month-old son back in his hometown and he wanted to be present in his life and be able to provide for him. He normally didn’t believe in auditioning for these shows, but he was at his last resort to support his son. 

From all the trial and error, the countless auditions and being turned down to getting calls to come back, he finally one day went out to do an audition for Stone Temple Pilots. After a year of auditions, he got the gig, and the rest is history. He is still doing tours and they are in the process of coming out with some new music that they were working on when COVID-19 hit, but he is excited for the new music to be released. 

Ainsley McMahon is a senior at Benedictine University and plays for the women’s soccer team. In her free time, when not playing soccer or working on schoolwork, she is relaxing with her dog or hanging out with friends. Contact her at ainsley_mcmahon@ben.edu.

One last ride

Posted Nov. 3, 2022 

By Dapre Rogers • Daily Ben staff writer  

Last Saturday, Oct. 29, the women’s volleyball program celebrated eight seniors in their win over Simpson, after winning three sets to one, controlling the entire match. Good luck to all our future Redhawk alumni. 

The first senior we are going to introduce is Ashley Newman. She has been a Redhawk for four years since coming from Mountain Pointe High School. She is planning to be a criminal counselor. She has made the dean’s list for all four years at Benedictine.  

Amada Lopez is also a four-year senior coming from San Antonio, Texas, where she attended Memorial High School. Amanda plans to become a nutritionist and to finish her master’s degree. A word of advice from her is to “enjoy every moment.” 

 Mariah Montoya has been a Redhawk for four years since coming from Centennial High School. She wants to become a food scientist and get her master’s in nutrition. Outside of sports, she is a BenU student worker and a coach at EVJ. 

 Isabel Ponce has been a Redhawk for two years after coming from Miami, Florida. Her future includes going back home to Florida and getting her master’s at UOM. Her favorite memory of being a Redhawk is riding the Ferris wheel on the pier in California.  

Bri Rivera has been a Redhawk for four years and has been on the dean’s list for two years after coming from Perry High School. She wants to be a paralegal and to pursue a master’s degree. Bri is currently the student body president and has put in a good amount of community service work in Mesa.  

Haley Rivera has been a Redhawk for the past three years. Coming from Mesa Community College, she is on the dean’s list. Haley’s future includes getting married in August and working in the human resources department for her career. 

Annebelle Somoza has been a four-year Redhawk after coming from Cienega High School and is the SAAC president here at BenU. While at BenU, she won the Charles Gregory Award. Annabelle plans to be a collegiate volleyball coach. 

Courtney Ely has been a Redhawk for the last two years and comes from Ironwood Ridge High School. She is a part of the dean’s list and will be taking her fifth year to finish her bachelor’s degree. Courtney is also the RSA vice president at Benedictine. 

Dapre Rogers is a communications major at Benedictine University at Mesa. He is also a member of the men’s volleyball team. You can contact him at dapre_rogers@ben.ed. 

Insight on student athlete life

By Ainsley McMahon• Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Oct. 18, 2022

Benedictine Mesa is a small community of students and most are student athletes competing against other teams to represent the school. I wanted to get an insight on a couple of student athletes and ask them a few questions about the life of a student athlete.

The first person I interviewed is Mataeo Torres on the men’s soccer team. He is a freshman from Colombia. I started off by asking him how he likes Benedictine and the culture changes he had to endure. 

“Coming here from a different country was difficult and leaving because I was super homesick, but as soon as I met the team and started practicing I immediately felt welcomed.”

Mataeo also spoke about the troubles he has had being a student athlete. 

He said, “I enjoy being a student athlete and representing my school, but it is not easy. Missing classes while traveling has to be the hardest thing for me especially because I have a class that is only once a week, so every time I miss one class I miss a lot of material and then I have to teach myself or get a hold of the teacher on my own time. But it’s rewarding and a privilege to be playing sports in college, so once I found a good rhythm everything fell into place.”

Last thing I asked Mataeo was what his favorite memory has been so far at Benedictine He shared about his team dinner at Buca Di Beppo on a trip to California after a game. He mentioned he doesn’t remember anything specifically about why it was so memorable. He just remembers seeing the team as a whole all have smiles on their face and having a genuine good time.

Lastly, I interviewed a freshman from the men’s baseball team, Arthur Ramirez. He is from Denver, Colorado, and has played baseball for most of his life. He shared a little about how he found Benedictine and this is what he said:

“As much as I wanted to stay with my family, I wanted to get out of the cold. I have always loved Arizona and knew one day I wanted to go to college here. So I searched and looked at every college in the area and narrowed it down to a couple that really caught my eye, and one of them was Benedictine University. I immediately got in contact with the coach and toured the college and that same day signed.”

Even not being in season yet, the baseball team still has practices and weights every day, on top of that school. He mentioned that he really enjoys practices and shared a little insight with me on what those practices consist of: “We always do different things, but we always start with meditation, and then we get working on individual stuff, then we come back and do stuff together, then we either scrimmage or hit.”

Even having practices in the mornings or at night, he sets time aside to do his homework, because as a student athlete you have to have good time management to still have the time to do your homework while going to practice and having a social life, and sometimes it’s not easy. But Arthur mentions that he enjoys the routine, and how it helped him grow as an individual and feel so independent.

Ainsley McMahon is a senior at Benedictine University and plays for the women’s soccer team. In her free time, when not playing soccer or working on schoolwork, she is relaxing with her dog or hanging out with friends. Contact her at ainsley_mcmahon@ben.edu.

BenU Around the World

Carlos Parra

Posted on Oct. 25, 2022

Hometown: Caborca Sonora, Mexico

By Noah Thompson • Daily Ben staff writer

What’s the reason you came to BenU?

I came to BenU to finish my degree in business and be a part of the baseball program.

Is it hard being away from your family?

It is hard to be away from my family especially during hard moments. I try to stay in touch and call them every two days and sometimes everyday, but it is definitely not the same. They are happy with me being here because they know it is a better opportunity and that is what gives me the strength to be away from them and pay them back with good results here.

Do you like being in Arizona?

I like being in Arizona because it is not that far from my home. The weather is really similar to my home and I can go visit in case of an emergency. It also has a really good level of baseball which I enjoy a lot.

How is Arizona different from your hometown?

Arizona is different from my hometown because everything here is more modern. Back in my hometown we are still behind when it comes to having a good structure of the city itself. To go across the city here takes a good hour or even longer and in my town the furthest you will drive from end to end is 15 minutes.

What is one food you miss from home?

Here in Arizona there is a lot of places with good Mexican food, but tamales made by my grandma is something I really miss.

Noah Thompson is a communication arts major. He plays on the baseball team and it’s his second year at BenU. Contact him at @Noah_Thompson@ben.edu.

Harrison Loudon. Courtesy of Harrison Loudon.

Harrison Loudon

Posted on Nov. 3, 2022

Hometown: West of Auckland, New Zealand

By Noah Thompson • Daily Ben staff writer

What’s the reason you came to BenU?

1. The reason I came to BenU was to both further my education in the Health Field, also to continue playing baseball, for a good team with good coaches.

Is it hard being away from your family?

2. I have been in the United States for 3 years. I would say it was harder during my freshman year, but now three years in, I have adapted to living away from them and stay in contact with daily FaceTime calls. But there are times like birthdays and special occasions where it is hard to be that far away.

Do you like being in Arizona?

3. Yes, I do really enjoy being in AZ.

How is Arizona different from your hometown?

4. I grew up in a small neighborhood in the West of Auckland, New Zealand. Which is a very different culture and way of life than Mesa, Arizona. Through the food that we eat to the climate and even the way we communicate and speak.

What is one food you miss from home?

5. The food I miss from home would have to be steak and cheese meat pies and pavlova; pavlova is a dessert like a big meringue.

Noah Thompson is a communication arts major. He plays on the baseball team and it’s his second year at BenU. Contact him at @Noah_Thompson@ben.edu.

Player profiles

Spotlight: Get to know BenU men’s volleyball

By Trevor Medigovich • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Sept. 6, 2022

Daxton Tolman

Daxton “Dax” Tolman is a junior setter at Benedictine Mesa. He started playing volleyball when he was 12 years old and played six years of club volleyball for Aspire Volleyball Club. He had a great career finishing second in Arizona every year except for his 18’s year where he earned first place at regionals. Dax played four years of varsity volleyball for Perry High School in Gilbert and fought his way to the semifinals his sophomore year, and was headed into a great senior campaign until the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to the rest of the season. He explained that his greatest motivator is his father, saying, “He pushes me to be the player I am today and he’s helped me put in the work that I put in today to make me the player I am.” Dax chose to play at BenU because he played club volleyball with current teammates Dapre Rogers and Landon Fuller. He also explained that the previous head coach had kept a close eye on Dax throughout high school and eventually gave him a scholarship to play. Daxton’s goals for this season are to win a national championship. The men’s volleyball team has come up just short the last two years, earning second place, but the team is looking to take the leap to national champions once again.

Tyler Watts

Tyler Watts is a freshman and he’s a freshman middle at Benedictine Mesa. His volleyball career began when he was in the eighth grade, and he played high school ball at Campo Verde High School, where he won the state championship his junior year and had some success years prior in the 5A tournament. For club, he played at Arizona Fear Volleyball Club where he placed second in regionals his 18’s year. Watts explains that the ability to get better every day, watching not just himself, but his teammates grow as players and building a connection with them is his biggest motivator. Tyler chose to play at Benedictine because it’s close to home, so he’s able to see his family and they’re able to support him at his games. He says, “It’s a great school and I love my teammates.” Like most of the men’s volleyball team, his goal is to win a national championship, but he would also like to prove himself as a player and most importantly get good grades.

Daniel Compton

Daniel Compton is a sophomore outside/libero at Benedictine Mesa. Daniel began playing volleyball when he was in the seventh grade and played for Legacy Volleyball Club and went to nationals four times, earning two gold medals and one silver medal. He also played at Saugus High School. But he credits his scholarship offer for his club volleyball career. Daniel explains that his biggest motivator is his family. He says his parents and his cousins all played sports, so he was always in a competitive environment where they allowed him to compete and strive to always be better. Daniel decided to play at Benedictine because his family is from California and he wanted to stay close to home but far enough away from them, he says, “When I talked to Coach Taylor, it was a very welcoming environment, and when I stepped in the gym it was a very competitive environment as well.” Daniel’s goals for his sophomore season are to compete with his teammates and find his way on the court, and to win the CalPac conference as well as a national championship.

Trevor Medigovich is a communications major at Benedictine University at Mesa. He is also a member of the men’s volleyball team at BenU. Contact him at trevor_medigovich@ben.edu.

Raychele Hernandez — Head softball coach

By Noah Thompson • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Sept. 29, 2022

1) What is your name and coaching title?

Raychele Hernandez, softball coach.

2) Why did you become a coach?

I gain satisfaction from helping students develop and achieve their goals. I had a lot of great coaches in my life who have believed in me, gave me opportunities, and shaped who I am today, so I wanted to do the same for other students.

3) What is your coaching motto?

My philosophy is building the character of a person is just as important as developing the skills of the player.

4) Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Will you still be coaching?

In 10 years, I do see myself in the coach world in some aspect. I don’t think I could ever truly give the sport up.

5) What made you coach at BenU?

I love the smaller atmosphere and the competitive nature of Benedictine. I like to say I didn’t choose BenU, but BenU picked me. And it was a blessing in disguise because I’ve never felt more at home here!

Noah Thompson is a communication arts major. He plays on the baseball team and it’s his second year at BenU. Contact him at @Noah_Thompson@ben.edu.

Teacher profiles

Photo courtesy of Sister Katherine

Sister Katherine

Posted Oct. 21 2022

By Tyler Butterfield Daily Ben staff writer

Sister Katherine is a Philosophy professor, who has been at BenU since the fall of 2017.  She is an adjunct faculty member.  Her main focus when teaching are Ancient Greek Philosophy and Medieval Philosophy. 

Sister Katherine gave a bit of insight on her journey into Sisterhood, “I was searching for something.” She didn’t quite know what it was, and couldn’t even quite articulate it, “the experience was much like being in a very dark place and not being able to see where I was going … but only able to see the next step that I needed to take.” 

 These “steps” were choices that she had to make, as everyone does as they move along in life. She longed to meet people who were truly wise, and could point the way toward “something deeper.” 

She met the Sisters in a very odd way. Sister Katherine was diagnosed with a brain tumor and the Sisters worked in health care and education.

 “After much traveling on this path, I find myself here at BenU with many students who are also searching, just as I was”; people who were and are also in lost places trying to make their way in life.  

She hopes to be able to serve them in some way by shining a light into those dark places to invite those who search to look for Truth. “For in looking for Truth, we will find it in One Who is deep and is really present, and Who loves each and every one of us very much.”  This is why Sister Katherine loves working at BenU, for this very reason.

Tyler Butterfield is a senior communications major and plays baseball for the school. Contact him at christian_butterfield@ben.edu. 

Rebecca Irvine: Author of 8 books and counting

By Tyler Butterfield • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Sept. 8, 2022

Professor Irvine is a Speech Communications professor at BenU, but she also teaches a majority of the upper level Comm classes, such as Mass Media Law and Ethics. 

She loves teaching at BenU because of the class size and structure. It gives her more freedom to interact with her students, compared with large lectures halls. She also loves that it is close to home, and the fellow professors have been very friendly.

When Professor Irvine is not teaching, she enjoys writing in her free time. In fact, she has published eight books so far in her writing career.

Tyler Butterfield is a senior communications major and plays baseball for the school. Contact him at christian_butterfield@ben.edu. 

Tony Cella: Spanish professor for all subjects

By Tyler Butterfield • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Sept. 15, 2022

Dr. Tony Cella is one of our esteemed professors at BenU Mesa. He teaches Spanish, Medical Spanish, and occasionally an interdisciplinary seminar.

He enjoys teaching here because he loves to engage with his students in Spanish in a small environment. He says it helps his students to learn about history, literature, politics and business. Many Spanish instructors only teach the language; “I get to teach other subjects in español.” That is one advantage of working with students who already have a firm grasp of the language. When he isn’t in the classroom, one of his favorite hobbies is playing competitive tennis.

Tyler Butterfield is a senior communications major and plays baseball for the school. Contact him at christian_butterfield@ben.edu.

Professor of psychology

By Tyler Butterfield • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Oct. 4, 2022

Professor Shannon Rauch teaches many of our psychology classes, including survey of psychology, statistics, research methods, social psychology, senior thesis, and others. She loves working at Benedictine University for many reasons, but mostly because of the people, the students here are engaged, kind, and often inspiring. She appreciates her colleagues for being an amazing group of professionals. Outside of work, Professor Rauch enjoys spending as much time as possible with her three kids. She also enjoys traveling and spending time in the outdoors.

Tyler Butterfield is a senior communications major and plays baseball for the school. Contact him at christian_butterfield@ben.edu.

Staff members

Myra Carlos at the front desk. Photo by Daily Ben staff member Stephanie Arredia.

Myra Carlos

By Tyler Butterfield • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Oct. 18, 2022

Myra mans the front desk and provides administrative support to the rest of the faculty and staff. She enjoys working at BenU mainly because it’s a university and she used to work in a PreK to 8 school before, so she really enjoys that school environment. Myra also likes chatting with the students, and seeing them enter Gillett Hall as freshmen then walking across the commencement stage as graduates. Her husband and her are empty-nesters now; being at school surrounded by young adults lets her bring that mother in her out again — to help them and even occasionally to nag them. When Myra is not at school, she enjoys reading a lot. She is an immigrant who grew up in the Philippines (with six siblings) and always longed for books and the public library. In her opinion, it is the best thing about living in America. She also loves to travel with her husband; this past summer, they visited Western Europe, and she is planning a trip back to the Philippines in 2023. 

Tyler Butterfield is a senior communications major and plays baseball for the school. Contact him at christian_butterfield@ben.edu.

Jessica Jelinek: A woman of many talents

By Frank Johnson • Daily Ben staff writer

Posted Sept. 29, 2022

Benedictine University Mesa staff member Jessica Jelinek is the assistant director of admissions and handles enrollment marketing for new students for both of Benedictine University’s locations. When asked about the description of her job title, she said, “Any information that is tangible to go out to students, I work and create that.” From informational flyers around campus, high school visits, campus tours, enrollment events, Jessica does it all.

Jessica graduated from Benedictine (Lisle) in 2005 and worked as their assistant athletic director for marketing (2010-2019). In 2019, she decided to move to the Southwest and has been located at our Mesa campus ever since.

Frank Johnson is a communications major at Benedictine University at Mesa, and he is a frequent book reader. Contact him at frank_johnson@ben.edu.

Head Athletic Trainer: Brandie Peterson

By JohnLuca Moschetto • Daily Ben staff writer

Brandie Peterson, MS, AT, ATC, CES, PES, is the head athletic trainer here at Benedictine University Mesa. She works with the Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, and Spirt Squad.

She is an AZ native, attended ASU and went to grad school at GCU, where she was a graduate assistant in their athletic training department. After receiving her degrees, she bounced around to different positions before landing at BenU. She worked as an athletic trainer at a high school in Reno, Nevada, and has had multiple stints with multiple different MLB teams. She has worked with the RedSox, Mets, Rangers, and most recently the Athletics. She also worked with an independent baseball team and spent almost 3 years at Pepperdine University as well. 

While baseball is her favorite sport to work with, her dream sport to work is college football. She always dreamed of working with the Arizona State football team as an athletic trainer. Her favorite part about being a trainer is being on field and working the games. 

At the end of our interview, I asked her what was the craziest injury that she has seen while working. She said that while she was working at the high school in Reno she saw an opposing team’s running back get pancaked and suffered a total knee dislocation.

Any athletes who need to schedule an appointment can scan a QR coder outside the ATR in the Center for Higher Education.  You can reach her by email at bpeterson@ben.edu.

JohnLuca Moschetto is a senior communications major and plays baseball at Benedictine University Mesa. Contact him at johnluca_moschetto@ben.edu.

Athletic Trainer: Makenna Hancock

By JohnLuca Moschetto • Daily Ben staff writer

Makenna Hancock is the other athletic trainer here at Benedictine University Mesa. Makenna works with men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s golf teams, and the softball team. 

Makenna attended Dakota Wesleyan University, where she played soccer and majored in athletic training and graduated in 2017. Then she became a graduate assistant at South Dakota State University with their athletic department. Soon after she received her degree from South Dakota State, she started working here at BenU as an athletic trainer.

As a former soccer player, one of her favorite sports to work is soccer, but she has grown to really enjoy working volleyball games. 

I finished my interview with Makenna by asking her the same question I ended my interview with Brandie on: What is the craziest injury you have seen on field? She said that she saw a total ankle dislocation on a field one time.

Any athletes who need to schedule an appointment can scan a QR coder outside the ATR in the Center for Higher Education.  You can reach her by email at mhancock@ben.edu.

JohnLuca Moschetto is a senior communications major and plays baseball at Benedictine University Mesa. Contact him at johnluca_moschetto@ben.edu.

Send us your ideas!

Send us your suggestion for a teacher, student, player, coach or staff member to profile at thedailyben@ben.edu!