Throughout the spring and summer, we'll be honoring our senior student-athletes with a "Senior Salute" series. Today's featured senior is Ashley Boersma, a cognitive behavioral neuroscience major from Ada, Michigan. Boersma is a member of the women's lacrosse team.

Q: Why did you choose to attend The College of Wooster?
A: When I visited, I really loved the campus and the small-school community feeling. I loved the diversity of the student body that many small schools lack. Throughout my time at Wooster, I've met so many people from all over the country and world, and all with different perspectives and cultures. I also loved that Wooster would push me both athletically and academically.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a Fighting Scot student-athlete?
A: Putting the time and effort into finding success both on the field and in the classroom. 

Q: What are some of your favorite memories as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: My favorite memories are going to Lowry for dinner as a team after practices, playing Denison in the NCAC Tournament championship my sophomore year, the many hours spent in the library with friends and teammates, and living in a Wooster Volunteer Network service house with my best friends.

Q: What's the best part about being a student-athlete at The College of Wooster?
A: The best part of being a student-athlete is receiving support on and off the field from coaches, professors, teammates, and peers. Being a student-athlete at Wooster has also brought me some pretty amazing lifelong friends.

Q: What else were you involved with on campus besides your sport?
A: I've worked at Campus Access as a student assistant for three years, volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club of Wooster, volunteered with OHuddle, and was a member of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee). I've also lived in a WVN service house for two years. We volunteer and work with a local emergency needs organization called People to People Ministries!

Q: Which College of Wooster faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you and why?
A: Maybe it's all the time we spend with her but… I have learned a lot from Coach (Elizabeth) Ford, and she's helped me get through some tough times. She has been there every step of the way as I've navigated through these past four years.

Q: What other people or resources impacted your Wooster experience in a positive way and how did these people/resources set you up to be successful at Wooster?
A: All of my professors have been so incredibly supportive and engaging. I have always felt comfortable going to them with questions and to receive any additional help or guidance I may need. The athletic department staff, especially coaches and trainers, have also made me feel very at home and welcomed at Wooster.

Q: Tell us a bit about your Independent Study project?
A: My Independent Study investigates the differences in working memory between bilinguals' first and second languages. I am also investigating whether the age and environment in which a second language is learned has an impact on working memory differences.

Q: Tell us a bit about something cool you did as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, during the fall semester of my junior year. While I was there, I completed credits for my Spanish minor at a local university, traveled around Europe, and immersed myself in the Spanish culture while living in a flat with four other European students. I made so many incredible friendships and memories while abroad and it was an experience that I will forever be thankful for! 

Q: Reflecting back on your time at Wooster, what is one piece of advice you would give your first-year (freshman) self?
A: Academics are important, but the experiences, the people, and the memories are what really matter and are what you remember. Build relationships with your professors, coaches, advisors, teammates, classmates, and even the dining staff – they are great people! Get involved, do the things that scare you, and along the way you will find some really great friends!

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Interested in becoming a Fighting Scot?
Prospective student-athletes can click here to request more information from a coach and you can view the virtual campus tour here.