TEMPE - Once a Sun Devil, always a Sun Devil.
Over Labor Day Weekend, we like to take a moment to highlight the over 70 ASU alumni who now work for our Sun Devil Family.
Sun Devil Athletics is proud to be home to so many amazing alumni and former student-athletes.
In one week @KennyDillingham will coach his first football game as the head coach of @ASUFootball. A Sun Devil graduate in 2013, CKD will join a list of 7 other coaches who are alumni of ASU. Check out the others down below! 🔱 😈
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) August 24, 2023
🔗 https://t.co/fgaRbmNKCu#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/zhXcGrhg8F
Bridget Arenson - BA, Communication, 1996
After graduating from ASU with a BA in communication in '96, Arenson went to work away from ASU for three years. Arenson called herself a "lifetime Sun Devil" because she grew up a Sun Devil. Before her, her father was a professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business and now, her son is going to school here at ASU.
"ASU has just been such a huge part of my family's lives. It's one of those things that is hard to find anywhere."
"When Hurricane Katrina forced us to move our game back here in 2005 and everybody literally moved into their offices. Everybody was taking orders for tickets because you had to call in to get your tickets to the games. So everybody was on the phone, everybody was working a million hours. That has always been a great memory just to watch and remember everyone working so hard to try and make this really big thing happen. And it happened, we did a great job, and it was wonderful."
Ariana Vallejo - BA, Sports Journalism, 2018
After graduating from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2018, Vallejo never predicted that she would go to work for her alma mater. But now, it's something that she wouldn't change.
"It feels really awesome being able to give back more. When I was here for school, it was having fun and getting good grades as best as I could. But now it's actually being able to build a better culture and improving all aspects of the sports industry through ASU."
Cohlton Kieffer - BA, Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership/BA, Political Science, 2022
Coming back and working for the Sun Devil Club was an easy decision. After graduating in 2022 and working at a political consulting firm for about a year, Kieffer knew he wanted to come back home and work for his alma mater.
"I turned to Sun Devil Athletics because I was a student worker here for about a year and a half as an undergrad and I loved the environment. I turned to it because ASU is such an important institution to me and my family, so it was an easy decision."
"I was able to help a former women's tennis player start a scholarship under her family's name. It was cool to see the satisfaction in her eyes and realize the impact that she wanted to make and leave her legacy with ASU. It was a cool experience to help former student-athletes create a legacy and establish a scholarship in their name."
Kelli Benjamin - Masters of Sports Law and Business, 2018
Coming from a house divided, Benjamin's mom graduated from ASU and her father graduated from the school down South, Benjamin went the right way and got her Master's of Sports Law and Business in 2018.
"Seeing my first class of student-athletes graduating is one of my favorite memories. Working with them from freshman all the way up to senior year and seeing how much they have grown. Especially one student-athlete that I had who was super at risk and he graduated with a degree. First of his family. That was probably my proudest moment. Seeing someone develop from being a freshman to graduating and moving onto the big world."
"My connections from my previous institution linked me together with Jean Boyd. Seeing the environment and seeing the culture that was brought up here, I wanted to be a part of this and try to make it better too."
Danielle Olson - BA, Anthropology, 2009/BS, Justice Studies, 2011, M.Ed. Higher & Postsecondary Education, 2020
Olson is the daughter of an ASU graduate. After getting her BA in 2009, she decided to go back for another degree, and then another one. But, Olson said she might not be done with adding onto her impressive resume.
"I am ASU. Through and through. I bleed maroon and gold. It's really exciting to be working for ASU, it was one of my dreams."
"I never thought I'd get to be in Athletics. It's something I've always been interested in."DJ Foster - BA, Interdisciplinary Studies, 2015
New alumni additions to the Sun Devil family:
Kenny Dillingham - Head Football Coach, BA Interdisciplinary Studies 2013Alex Sherman - Swim and Dive Assistant Coach, BA Interdisciplinary Studies 2014, Masters in Education 2015