At the University of Arizona, success on the field doesn’t always guarantee success off it. For many Pacific Islander student-athletes, the transition to college can come with deep homesickness, isolation and uncertainty about life beyond sports. One Sahuarita woman is working to change that.
Affectionately known as “Auntie Benjie,” Benjaline Medlock has spent years advising Polynesian athletes at the University of Arizona.
Through that work, she began to notice a troubling pattern: while many of these athletes arrived physically prepared to compete at a high level, some struggled mentally and emotionally, and ultimately left school before finishing their degrees…