Catching up with Alumni
Carissa Martinez ’21
Congratulations to recent Sandia Prep alum Carissa Martinez ’21. This past spring, as a freshman member of the Centenary College of Louisiana’s gymnastics team, Carissa competed at Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Pete Maravich Center in a gymnastics meet. ESPN covered the meet on their “Friday Night Heights” show. Carissa competed on the floor (8.975) and beam (9.6) and contributed well to her team’s overall score.
Michael Beniash ’98
Last January, Michael Beniash ’98 was named 2021 Vermont Sportswriter of the Year. Michael is a sports editor for the Caledonian-Record newspaper serving parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. It was the second time he was selected by his peers; he also won the award in 2019. After graduating from Prep, Michael attended the University of New Mexico. He previously worked at the Albuquerque Journal and the Littleton Courier in New Hampshire before taking over as the Caledonian-Record’s sports editor in 2009.
Dean Hines ’81
For 25 years, Prep alum Dean Hines ’81 has worked on the science and mission operations for the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest, most powerful, and most complex space science telescope ever built. The telescope is an international effort led by NASA and its partners in the European and Canadian Space Agencies. For over 11 years, Dean has been working on the MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. He is currently the U.S. lead for the MIRI “coronagraph” that will be used to image planets around stars other than the Sun. His hard work and dedication finally came to fruition when Webb was launched on Christmas Day, 2021. The telescope reached its final destination about one million miles from Earth on January 24, 2022. According to NASA, “Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.” Dean’s life work brings literal meaning to the term “reach for the stars!”
Jack ’19 and Sam ’21 Henderson
This past winter, Prep was happy to revel in the athletics success of alumni Jack ’19 and Sam ’21 Henderson. Both brothers play for Lewis and Clark College’s men’s basketball team, the Pioneers, in Portland, Oregon. They are doing incredibly well, both being leading scorers over several games. We weren’t surprised, though, because Jack and Sam were two of the best high school basketball players in New Mexico during their time at Prep. Beyond their on-court skills, they were also extraordinary leaders as Sundevils.
Yana Apostalon ’15
Yana Apostalon ’15 has had a diverse and fascinating life experience since graduating Prep. She attended the University of New Mexico, where she was the president of the Women’s Water Polo Club. She also spent a semester at the University of the Virgin Islands, wrote for the Daily Lobo, and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. After graduating, she spent some time working for the Medical Reserve Corps in a vaccination clinic doing data entry and scribe work. She has worn many hats as a baker, art teacher, education assistant, bus driver for the Horizons Albuquerque program, lifeguard, journalist, water polo coach, swim coach, wilderness guide, and farmer. Currently, she is an estate manager in Oregon. She eventually would like to attend a clinical psychology program to pursue a career in wilderness therapy, after her wanderlust has been quenched. For now, Yana is starting a small crochet business from which a portion of the proceeds will go to aid refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic.