Hello Editing 3220 class!

My name is Steven Bench, but I go by Steve. I am currently a Sales Professional. I graduate from Weber State's Professional Sales program in 2013. I am currently enrolled the Master of Professional Communication program at Weber State. As an MPC student, we are allowed to take one class at this level, with an added MPC focus. Writing and editing have been a struggle for me throughout my academic and professional career. Writing is a key skill for any communicator. I want to improve my writing skills. Whether I stay in sales, move up to management or make a career change, writing will be a valuable skill I will need for the rest of my career. I feel that editing will help make me a more effective writing by helping me to eliminate the common mistakes I make in spelling, punctuating, etc. I feel that by improving my writing skills, I will be much more effective in my academics and professional career.

My areas of interests are military history, world history, and foreign affairs. I love reading books, articles and watching documentaries about these subjects. I am currently reading a book in my free time titled "The Black Banners: The inside story of 9/11 and the War on Al Qaeda." by Ali Soufan. The author was on the FBI's Counter-Terrorism Unit for several years. He was the one of only a handful of agents who spoke Arabic in the FBI before 9/11. He talks about his experience interviewing Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attacks on 9/11, the USS Cole and American Embassies in Northern Africa. Topics like these intrigue me. I have thought about applying to a position within the Intelligence community but I need to improve my writing in order to have a chance at landing a job.

I grew up in Clinton, UT (shout out to Jake!). Syracuse High School wasn’t built back in my day. I graduated Clearfield High in 2005. I served an LDS mission to Honduras, where I learned Spanish. I enjoy college football, rugby, weightlifting, and barbecuing. I always cheer for the Wildcats but my favorite college team is the Utah Utes. I played rugby while I attended Weber State. I had friends on the team who introduced me to elite weightlifting and barbecue. One team mate was from South Carolina. He showed me a few tricks and I have enjoyed it since.

I met and married my wife while attending Weber State. I proposed to her at a WSU football game. I can claim 20 seconds of TV fame as I proposed to her on Big Sky TV. I always joke with her that convincing her to marry me was my best sale! We have been married for 5 years and have a 14-month-old baby girl. She is an absolute joy. She is learning to walk, talk, and feed herself. We enjoy spending time together going to the park, grocery shopping, and finding new restaurants where we try out the cuisine.

Good luck with the semester!