Tag: Featured News

Work Week returned to Utah this April with a simple premise: bring together everyday athletes and push them through seven demanding days of endurance disciplines while raising money for mental health and youth-focused charities.

From April 6–12, 12 participants completed seven disciplines across Utah, traveling from Snowbird to Zion National Park in a week that tested both physical endurance and emotional resilience. The seven-day endurance event included:

• Alpine skiing at Snowbird
• Road cycling through Salt Lake City
• Kayaking in Moab
• Mountain biking in Canyonlands National Park
• Stand-up paddleboarding in Moab
• Hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park
• A final run through Zion National Park

Unlike traditional endurance events, Work Week is not a race. There are no podiums, rankings or winners. Participants move together, support one another and focus on completing each day’s effort as a group.

Each day’s discipline was completed at a marathon distance effort, including cycling stages of roughly 100 miles. The format emphasized sustained endurance over speed, requiring athletes to manage fatigue across all seven days.

Work Week was co-founded by Ricky Bowry, who also participated as one of the 12 athletes this year. Founded in 2025, Work Week was created to blend multi-disciplinary endurance challenges with charitable impact, bringing everyday athletes together for demanding outdoor events designed to test physical and mental limits.

According to organizers, the event is built on the belief that hard work can drive change — both personally and within communities. Participants complete seven days of endurance challenges while fundraising for causes that matter to them, emphasizing resilience, shared effort and collective growth rather than competition.

The event raises money through participant fundraising. Donations are matched by St. James’s Place and benefit Panathlon, a U.K. based charity that provides competitive sporting opportunities for young people with disabilities. Funds are also directed to CALM, which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

While participants came from different backgrounds and professions, none were professional athletes. Most held full-time jobs outside of sports, making the physical and emotional toll of the week especially demanding. Many struggled throughout the event, but every participant finished.

For Ben Hallaways, a level two ski instructor from Reading, England, returning for a second year carried personal significance. Hallaways said endurance sports became an outlet for him after his sister died by suicide.

“Work Week is a great way to test mental strength,” Hallaways said. “The causes behind it are very personal, and you feel a responsibility to do your best for those people and charities.”

Hallaways said this year’s endurance event highlighted how much Work Week has grown since its first edition in 2025, from improved logistics to additional participants, while still preserving its core purpose.

“A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it,” he said. “Everyone had their own motivations, and when you put them together, it created something really special.”

For first-time participant Chloe Hauenstein, a Salt Lake City native now living in New York City and working as a corporate marketing director at Traversal, the experience was as much mental as physical.

“My mind is usually overrun with thoughts, but during something like this, it quiets down completely,” Hauenstein said. “You’re not thinking about anything else, just getting through, one foot, one pedal or one paddle stroke at a time.”

Hauenstein said the group dynamic was one of the defining aspects of the week, especially during the mountain biking stage at Canyonlands National Park, which she described as one of the most difficult days.

“One of the guys refused to let me quit,” she said. “He stayed with me through the hardest sections and wouldn’t leave my side. That kind of support is not something you get in most endurance events.”

Another participant, Luke Grose, a CEO from Ringwood, United Kingdom, said the variety of the challenge and the collective mindset were what drew him to the event.

“The power of having a team of us working together was huge,” Grose said. “We all spiked on different days, and the strength of the collective was greater than any individual.”

Throughout the week, participants leaned heavily on one another, as well as on support crews and community members following along online. Emotional moments were common, particularly at finish lines, where exhaustion often gave way to tears, relief and shared celebration.

Hallaways said that openness — both physical and emotional — is central to what separates Work Week from traditional endurance events.

“When we hit walls, we’re open about what’s going on in our heads,” he said. “It shows how community and teamwork are the best remedies for those private battles.”

By the end of the week, what stood out most was not individual performance, but collective perseverance. Participants who struggled one day often became sources of encouragement the next, reinforcing the event’s emphasis on shared effort rather than competition.

Work Week organizers hope that giving the public a window into that process — the struggle, vulnerability and eventual completion — helps normalize conversations around mental health and encourages others to challenge themselves within supportive environments.

For participants like Hauenstein, the message was straightforward.

“You don’t need to be perfect going in,” she said. “You just need to be willing to try.”

The 104th annual Trailblazer Queen pageant was held April 7 in the Dolores Doré Eccles Fine Arts Center. Students, faculty, staff and community filled the sold-out auditorium to cheer on the contestants.

The crowned winner of the night, along with a $1,000 scholarship, was Ashley Weber, a junior marketing major from Layton.

The following contestants placed:

• First attendant: Maya Christopherson
• Second attendant: Eden Rasband
• Third attendant: Hayden Murray
• Fourth attendant: Sammie Bartholomew
• Miss Congeniality: Emerson Anderson

When asked what Weber plans to do with her year, she had no hesitation in stating she wants to create an inclusive environment.

“I hope to represent it [Trailblazer Queen] well by being inclusive and showing students that Utah Tech is one of the best places on the planet,” Weber said.

Weber plans on showing up to student events, clubs and being involved as much as she can.

The event was emcee’d by Nui Afulao — a senior exercise science major from St. George and UT Student Ambassador president — along with former Trailblazer Queen, Bella Estes.

“It was super special to see all the work behind the scenes with the production crew, student life and how much work all the contestants put in,” Afulao said.

The judges of the event were:

• Angela Smeed, wife of university president Shane Smeed
• Jonathan Morell, retired Utah Tech professor
• Abbie Sherzinger, Utah Tech alumna
• Cory O’Bray, Utah Tech alumnus
• Shareen Garber, mother of Shane Smeed

In between the different segments, judges were asked what they were looking for throughout the night. Judges gave answers like confidence on stage, community involvement and engagement.

Some aspects of the event were changed compared to recent years. One notable change was the onstage question portion. Instead of picking a random question from a bowl, the on-stage question was created by the judges based on the contestant’s interview from before the pageant.

Another notable change was the price of the event. This year, students got in for free, and community members paid $5.

As the night progressed, the crowd grew louder as each contestant graced the stage with an opening number, talent, evening wear and on-stage questions.

The talent portion of the event showcased the contestants and what they brought to the competition. From dancing, singing, poems and salsa making, the talent portion brought variety and engagement from the audience.

“It feels so amazing, this is the last pageant I’m really going to be able to do, and it was so fun to compete and realize this was such an amazing experience,” Bartholomew, a senior elementary education major from Ogden, said.

Before announcing the results at the end of the event, Estes reflected on her year as reigning Trailblazer Queen. She thanked the Utah Tech Student Association, alumni and the community for inviting her to events and keeping the tradition of Trailblazer Queen alive.

“It was so awesome to come back to campus as a recent graduate and be part of the Trailblazer Queen competition,” Estes said. “I am so excited to see what Ashley and all of her queens get to do.”

To stay up to date with Weber and the other queens, the Trailblazer Queen Instagram will be updated regularly.

Academic advisers exist to aid students, and while there can be a disconnect between students and advisers on goals or expectations, both sides are taking steps to create an efficient and positive advising environment.

In response to student complaints about their academic advising experiences, the Utah Tech Student Association sent out a survey that asked students to provide feedback about Utah Tech University’s academic advising quality in fall 2025.

Kolby Spector, the vice president of academics, said the feedback consisted of positive and negative reviews.

“The biggest observation we made is that most negative responses surrounding adviser availability and support were in colleges where the 300:1 student-to-adviser ratio was exceeded,” he said. Spector said that includes health sciences and SET.

Spector, a senior mathematics teacher education major from Fort Ann, New York, also noted that the UTSA Student Senate worked closely with the academic advising department to help create the survey, and he said UTSA is appreciative of their cooperation and hard work. 

“The Student Senate organized the data into a resolution. This is a formal document expressing the student voice to the university,” Spector said. “The resolution has been presented to academic administration, and the university is currently working on approving funding to hire more full-time advisers in the areas that exceed the ratio.”

Deborah Decker, UT’s director of first-year advisement, said that the survey highlighted this skewed availability as one of the advising office’s pain points, which she said directly relates to students’ advising experience.

“We kind of had it on our radar, [and we] predicted, ‘What are the next colleges where we really need to advocate for positions?’” said Katie Armstrong, the director of college advisement. 

Despite potential issues, both students and advisers highlighted steps each side can take to better the experience.

Advisers

Beverly Clark, an adviser for general education, helps incoming students explore various majors. She said her main goal is to make students feel comfortable when they come in for help, to make school easier for them.

“[The advisers] are here to advise, [students] decide,” Clark said. “I think a lot of times, students think we are going to tell them what to do… I don’t want you to have a horrible experience or a horrible class. I would hope they know that we’re here to help them. And that’s the idea, is to try and give them options, and then they choose.”

Clark suggested that students write down questions they have for their adviser before the meetings. On her desk, she had a diagram of potential questions students could ask during advising meetings. She also urges students to take notes during these meetings. 

“I think sometimes this is where some of those gaps come [from]” she said. “[Students] feel like, ‘You told me this,’ and [the advisers] do keep notes, so we can go back and look and be like ‘Hey, I didn’t. And actually, it shows I sent this email to you on this date.'”

Armstrong noted that advisers use a proactive advising model that exists to teach students about their degree requirements, so by their senior year, they’ll have a strong understanding of how the process works.

“We want you to come prepared,” she said. “So that’s what we mean by take ownership, because we want you to make those decisions.”

Armstrong said the advisers exist to encourage and guide students to other resources, and she said there is a misconception that advisers just exist to help build class schedules. 

“We have so many great resources,” Decker said. “Look at Degree Works. Take a look at some of the courses… But also, share your broader goals [with your adviser]. We’re asking students not only ‘What do you think you want to do?’ but ‘What do you know you don’t want to do?’ Because sometimes that’s a really important part of the conversation.”

Students

A few students shared their thoughts on improving academic advising opportunities.

“I think as a student, it’s good to know what your path kind of looks like,” said Collin Mikkelsen, a junior digital media major from Clinton. “Like paying attention to the Degree Works page that we have. I think that’s really helpful, showing exactly what it is that you have to do. That’s pretty much what my adviser just talks to me about anyway.”

Mikkelsen said he did not speak with an adviser in his first semester and registered for classes based on the Degree Works page. 

Now, he said his experience with his adviser has been positive. His adviser provided various resources to guide him through the process of changing majors, including Career Services. He thinks advisers being supportive and friendly can help improve the experience for students.

“[The advisers] are super nice people, [but] they always feel a little scattered,” said Ava Reall, a senior individualized studies major from Kent, Washington. “I know they have a lot of students to look over, but it’d be really helpful if when you meet with them, they have an idea of what you need.”

She would like to see more advisers come into the appointments more prepared and have a strong grasp on the information they’re sharing. 

“When they don’t seem sure, you get nervous to take their advice because you don’t feel sure,” she said. 

Reall also said that while students should always know what they are getting into and understand their major’s requirements, an adviser should be able to tell them what they’ll need.

“I feel like I kind of had to already know what I needed to know coming in, and just double check with [my adviser],” she said. “Because I never felt, even up until now, that my advisers could provide new information. It was more like I was just double-checking my facts.”

Effort from both advisers and students improve the experience

Both students and advisers emphasized the importance of students taking responsibility for their academic journey.

“We want to be that resource for students,” Decker said. “We know it can be challenging when we have larger populations. I want to get the message out there that you can make an appointment anytime, and you can make one up to 30 days in advance… But if we plan ahead, or if we have a little bit more flexibility, usually it can work out.”

“Advisers care about students,” Armstrong said. “We care about you. We want to support you. We try to get that message out all the time.”

St. George saw its own gathering, with hundreds of protesters gathering in Vernon Worthen Park to engage in an afternoon of live music renditions, speeches and street side demonstrations. 

In a showing of distaste for the Trump presidency, millions of Americans nationwide gathered in their respective cities March 28 in a day of protest.

Attendees held signs all throughout the park, most of which focused on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deportation. 

Amidst the increased presence of ICE around the nation, the No Kings organization has stated on their website: “President Trump has doubled down. His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting, and detaining people without warrants.”

Deportation was a major motivator for many attendees to attend. One in particular is Jorge Pineda, secretary of the Washington County Democrats and co-founder of Manos Amigas Utah.

Pineda expressed the importance of the protest to him, saying: “My father was deported in July by ICE. No Kings is just as much ‘no ICE’ as it is ‘no billionaires.’”

Other attendees shared similar empathy for undocumented immigrants as Pineda. “I graduated [high school] with 60% of my graduating class being here undocumented,” said Crystal Hanza, a Utah Tech University senior psychology major from Orange County, California. “Their families impacted my life in such a positive way… that’s who I’m fighting for today.”

During the event, there were organized chants that opposed the current administration, as well as some calling for unity. One chant that lasted throughout the entire gathering was, “No hate, no fear, everyone is welcome here.”

The organizer of the event was TogetherWorks, who describe themselves as a “nonprofit made up of people from Southern Utah who believe democracy should listen to all of us.”

Outside of organizing speakers and organizations in attendance, TogetherWorks also supplied water, Liquid I.V. and snacks to everybody in attendance.

Even with the goal of giving people the opportunity to utilize their First Amendment rights, organizers prioritized safety.

“Each time we organize a rally or protest, we coordinate with the St. George Police Department to maximize safety,” said Jillyn Stevens, founder and treasurer of TogetherWorks. “We have a large safety team trained in de-escalation and crowd management techniques, as well as a first aid station with medical professionals to address minor health issues.”

Speakers at the event spoke on a variety of topics. One speaker was a member of the leadership team at the League of Women Voters, Washington County branch, Rebecca Winsor.

“This is a country of the people, by the people and for the people,” she said. “When our elected representatives are behaving in ways contrary to the will of the people, it becomes the people’s duty and responsibility to remind them they serve at the behest and pleasure of the people.”

Amidst the protesting, TogetherWorks Chair Lysa McCaroll made one thing clear: “I would like to see us get away from the polarization in our society, the fear of ‘the other.’ We all care about the same things: healthcare, housing, education, the economy. We might have different ideas on how we achieve these goals, but that’s OK. What isn’t OK is believing only some people are entitled to a decent life.”