Celebrating Black History Month

Ricky Alexander attended Bethany College with a degree in Accounting and Business management in 2017. Originally from Lawton, Oklahoma, Alexander was recruited to play football and stayed after graduation when an accountant position opened up. “I hope to first focus on doing well in my new position of Interim Sports Information Director and secondly, I hope Bethany can come together and support one another in all events, sports, and music,” says Ricky. Ricky is currently pursuing his M.B.A at Kansas Wesleyan University.

Lorenzo Araujo was born in Santos Domingo, Dominican Republic, and raised in the Bronx, NY. After earning his degree in Business Management in 2010, Araujo attended Kansas Wesleyan University to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration. Similar to Ricky, he rekindled his love for football after his freshman year at Kansas State University. Lorenzo says “In the future, he hopes to bring the level of coaching to his athletes that they deserve.”

Tyrone Carter comes to Bethany from Los Angeles, CA. Carter attended Fresno State where he played football and earned his BS in Human Services Management from the University of Phoenix as well as his Master’s in Management. He is currently working toward his D.B.A. at Felician University. Carter found Bethany College through a job search and soon learned his wife Elise Carter had family close by in Salina. As the head football coach Carter will tell you his goal is to “win some games and graduate his students.” 

Elise Carter is originally from Detroit, MI, and was born in Cleveland, OH. Elise has always had a love of singing and acting and made her way to California. She graduated from Fresno State, where she met her husband and earned a BA in Speech Communications. After twenty years working as an actress, it was time to find a more stable career and a move to Kansas. Elise began pursuing her M.B.A. in Marketing at Kansas Wesleyan University and decided to leave restaurant management for a more fulfilling career helping Bethany College flourish. In the future, Elise would like to see Bethany continue to grow and diversify.

Braedon Clopton was born in Champaign, IL, and attended high school in Newburgh, IN. After attending Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, IA he got his degree in Education and Psychology. As luck would have it Bethany was the first school to respond to his employment inquiry and Braedon felt he would enjoy working here. Brandon’s hope is to have a successful wrestling program, one that can win conference titles and have a few all-American/National Champions. 

Vincent Grigsby also comes from Los Angeles, CA. Vincent attended California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and earned his BA in English from National University. He is currently attending Goodwin College to obtain his MS in Organizational Leadership. Grigsby came to Bethany by way of an internet post for an assistant football coach and now hopes to put Bethany football back on top of the KCAC. Our second Grigsby on campus is Cherie who is the wife of Vincent and currently an assistant women’s basketball coach for the Swedes. 

Ruth Mbah is originally from Cameroon, Central Africa. She attended the University of Buea | Buea, Cameroon where she earned her B.S. in Accounting, Amity University | Uttar Pradesh in India where she received her M.B.A. in International Business, and Southern University and A&M College | Baton Rouge, LA. for her P.h.D. in Public Affairs and Public Policy Analysis with a concentration in Public Finance Policy. Ruth found a job listing for Bethany on HigherEdjobs, applied and the rest is history. Ruth has published over 10 published articles ranging from the ethics and morality of the death penalty to Public Policy Perspectives of Student Loans and Debt. In the future, she would like to introduce the spirit of academic research and academic conference participation to her students. Ruth believes that research is important especially if there is a desire to further our education or hold important positions. She is also interested in teaching students the real corporate world and not just theory. Ruth shares, “By the grace of God, I have worked in several corporate institutions, and I intend to use my personal experience to get my students prepared for the real world; which can be very unfriendly if you are not mentally ready.”

Papa Assane Ndiaye joined the Bethany coaching staff a month ago and is from Senegal, West Africa. He graduated from Tennessee Tech University with a B.S. in Exercise Science then continued on to Kentucky  University earning a Master of Science and Master of Arts degree. On a visit in 2021, Papa visited Bethany College with his Northern Oklahoma College soccer team and very much enjoyed his experience on campus. His future plan is to use soccer to promote the school worldwide with international students. He would also like the men’s soccer program to become the standard in NAIA. Last, Papa wants to create an environment where student-athletes will enjoy their experience and strive for greatness both inside and outside the field. Papa adds, “Black History Month is an important month and we must use this month to educate and teach. I would like also to express my gratitude to all those who paved the way for people like me to have opportunities like this one.”