My Experience As A Freshman At Western So Far
When Bonnie Henricksen arrived at Western from Utah, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Now, just a few weeks into her first semester, she’s balancing soccer travel, ceramics projects, and Spanish class with the help of her close-knit roommates. In this conversation, student editor Jasmine Ramirez talks with Bonnie about her journey to Western, what it’s like being part of Mustang Soccer, and how she’s finding her footing—both on the field and in the classroom.
My name is Bonnie Henricksen, and I am from Utah. I came to Western Wyoming to play soccer and get my two-year degree done. So far, the team has made it through two-a-days, preseason, and some regular season games. It’s our travel year, so we’re gone a lot.
We had a huge trip to Iowa and played a ton of games there. We’re going back soon to play Iowa Western again, and I think it’s going to be a really good game.
I am majoring in Criminal Justice, but that might change to Generals. I really don’t enjoy science—except for biotech—so a career in criminal justice might be a little difficult.
I’m taking Intro to Criminal Justice, Criminology, Ceramics, Public Speaking, and Spanish. Spanish is hard, even though I took two years in high school and my mom speaks it. ¿Cómo se dice “I will not be taking Spanish two unless I have to”?
My Criminology class is very interesting because we have class discussions about the law and different aspects of it. It’s literally the study of crime, so we spend most of the time talking about why people commit crime and how it should be dealt with. My Intro to Criminal Justice class is also tied to that concept, but it’s a little different since all the discussions are online.
My Ceramics class has been my favorite so far. I’m working on a mug—it’s not very good, but I’m going to fix it. I’m also putting together a vase that’s shaped like a tunnel but twisty.
My Public Speaking class doesn’t start until October, which is actually much closer than I realized. It’s online, so I’ll be giving speeches to my three roommates.
Speaking of my roomies—they are lit. Dylan is an outside back, Lizzy is a center back or midfielder, and Alex is our goalkeeper. Dylan is my roommate, and we both love Harry Potter, so you could say things are going great.
Overall, my time at Western so far has been good, but I am scared for the Wyoming winter to kick in. Not too scared, though, because I love my hoodies and sweaters.
