We acknowledge and celebrate team members and their children who have had milestone accomplishments this year. Learn how they’ve prepared for this day, and what plans they have ahead of them.
Juli Potts, Ripple Companies
An interview with Brenden Potts. Brenden graduated May 2023 from Washington State University with a Bachelor’s in Sports Management.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m a graduate from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, majoring in sport management and minoring in communications. I worked with the men’s basketball team as a student manager my first year at WSU, and I transitioned to article writing and social media covering the WNBA and NBA. Right now, I work in customer service as a cashier for Levy Restaurants at Providence Park and drive for door dash in my spare time.
Describe your ideal job.
Anything in basketball that has a good work environment, good people to be around, the ability to learn and improve in both my strengths and weaknesses.
What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
I believe graduating from Washington State University was my greatest accomplishment.
What was your favorite thing about WSU?
I loved the community that WSU. Everyone knew each other and there were so many genuine people I met while I attended school. That also includes the athletics programs there, and everyone I met in the different programs were so selfless and genuine and that really matched up with my values.
In what ways have you changed throughout your college experience?
I really began to take more risks and became more independent, and I also learned how to properly network with people and I think that’s important in this industry.
Lynn Snyder, Johnson Bixby
While I do not have anyone graduating this year, Eleanor (my oldest daughter) did finish her first year at the United States Naval Academy and is officially a “Plebe” no more. Plebe Year at USNA is similar to a freshman year at any college or university, filled with challenging university classes, sports and typical campus life. Plebes, however, have fewer privileges than upperclassmen AND upperclassmen are in charge of “welcoming” them to the Academy for the entire year. Plebes have a stricter dress code, fewer off campus opportunities and must be ready to recite from memory the entire menu for the day whenever asked by an upperclassman.
Plebe year is both challenging and rewarding and is celebrated each year with the Herndon Climb! Herndon is a 21-foot-high granite obelisk on campus. Upperclassmen coat the monument with 100 lbs. of lard and glue a “dixie cup” hat on the top. The plebes must work together to replace the dixie cup with a midshipman’s cover (hat). A cannon is fired every fifteen minutes until the hats are switched. Once this feat is accomplished, they are considered “Plebes no more”! It took Eleanor’s class 2 hours, 31 minutes and 51 seconds to complete, which was over 1 hour faster than last year’s climb!
Herndon Climb (picture not of Eleanor)
Congrats to Eleanor!
Alejandra Ayers, Ripple Companies
Alejandra graduated this Spring from Grand Canyon University. Her ideal job would be working in a fun and motivating environment. She has many aspirations and goals, but a job that Alejandra would love is doing personal relations marketing and content creation for fitness brands and outdoor brands. She also has interest in working in real estate.
Her greatest accomplishment is graduating with a bachelor’s degree at the age of 20 and being an all-American wrestler at the national level. Her favorite thing at GCU was meeting new friends and being able to be a part of so many clubs and ministries on campus. She discovered a great community around her.
College helped her work through new challenges and problem solving. One big challenge is Alejandra moved to Arizona by herself. She is open to different career outlets, not just what she went to school, for and wants to continue to learn and grow.
A week after her internship at JBA, Alejandra is marrying her fiancé, Joshua. We wish her well and much success.
