Ben Munson

Ben Munson, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, grew up in the St. Louis area in an English-speaking home and environment. Though he spoke very little Spanish as a child, growing up his Spanish teachers always thought he spoke – or should speak – the language because of his birthplace.

Their expectations were not based in any real logic, but maybe those high demands are what pushed and steered him to "always seek for greater," he said. 

Munson started at Ricks College in 1998, but when he returned to Rexburg following his mission in Guatemala, the school had become BYU-Idaho.

At a very early age Munson was fascinated with newspapers and magazines. He remembers that when he was in the fourth and fifth grades, he sat at the kitchen table, read the news and copy-edited it.

“I was finding mistakes that professors and editors weren’t catching,” said Munson. He thought that was exciting and knew early on this was an area in which he could excel.

In high school, Munson gained a passion for the visual side of communication through photography and graphic design. He enrolled in journalism classes, which, he said, helped his passion for communication turn into “something real.”

At Ricks College and BYU-Idaho, Munson was a part of Scroll, where early in his college experience he applied for a scholarship – but didn’t get it.

“I felt like a high school athlete that didn't land any college offers or an outstanding college athlete who didn't get drafted,” said Munson, referring to his scholarship application not being accepted. He said it was a growth opportunity and that he learned quickly where his place was and what he needed to do better. By the time he left on his mission, he had jumped into the scholarship position he originally had his sights set on. 

That continued upon his return from his mission; over the course of several semesters, he worked as a sports writer, sports editor, copy staff member, copy editor, news writer, editor-in-chief, and a student advisor to less-experienced writers. He learned a lot through Scroll because it helped open his eyes to working in a professional business atmosphere.

An influential teaching moment for Munson, happened his freshman year of college. It was a cold Saturday morning during his first week on the Scroll staff. He was trying to adjust to the independence of college life, slept through his alarm, and was late for Scroll. He says that he felt like he let his staff down.

This experience taught him that it wasn’t all about him. Not being on time doesn’t just affect one person, but rather everyone. He viewed this as negative experience at the time because of pride, he said. He wishes he would have realized then “that you’re going to mess up sometimes, so just own up to it” and avoid further problems down the road.

Although he gained a lot of experience from working on the newspaper staff, Munson still did an internship one semester at the Rexburg Standard Journal. He said he wishes he would of done more with photography and design while in college but that he still is grateful for his experiences gained at BYU-Idaho.

He stressed the importance of strengthening one’s most prominent skill while diversifying oneself as well. To aid with this, he said that internships will help students really know what they want to do. “Some people might need to dig to find their skill set. It’s in there,” Munson said.

Munson is now at St. Charles Community College in Cottleville, Mo. There, he edits press releases, edits the work of three professional graphic designers, oversees the work of the eight-person public relations and marketing office, and produces some of his own work, which includes photographs, posters and newsletters. Outside of work, he and his wife, Becca, are a portrait photography team – co-owners of Photography by BenandBeccalee – and he participates regularly in sports and church activities.

Because Munson lives in a place where Mormons aren’t as prominent as in Idaho, he says that there are lots of opportunities that arise in conversation to talk about the Church. It's not a challenge but, rather, fun, he said. A co-worker recently asked him if there were any Mormons in the 2014 Olympics. He is able to use experiences like this to discuss the Church and direct his co-workers to the Mormon Newsroom.

When asked to hire, Munson said he looks for people who are fun, outgoing, well-rounded and who have a college degree. He talked about the need to have "the right degree to get to the table," but then letting the "intangibles start to take over when making a final decision." “You can’t hire someone based on any one particular trait. You're really looking at the entire pie and not just one piece,” said Munson.

He is still connected with professors at BYU-Idaho and contacts them if he hears of a position that opens in order to see if they know of anyone who would be a good candidate. “Being connected [in networks] is super important,” said Munson. “If I am ever to leave SCC and 'seek for greater,' I will land a job through the connections I've made. I think the same is true for most young grads."