By: Wyatt Crosher, Communications Coordinator for Student Affairs
Meet senior Ryen Boleware, this year’s inaugural Homecoming Golden Niner. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, she is a criminal justice and psychology major. Ryen has been involved in the Student Government Association as the Chief Justice of the Judicial Branch, while also becoming Charlotte’s cheerleading co-captain. She is part of the Leadership Education And Development (LEAD) team and is Vice President of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn more about Boleware’s time at UNC Charlotte, her experience in the Niner 9 and her advice for all of Niner Nation.
Why did you decide to come to UNC Charlotte?
My dad lives up here, and I haven't lived with him since I was a little girl because I come from a split household. So I came to Charlotte to live by him. I thought it would be nice for him to finally be in a place where I can go see him, we could do a grocery trip together or I can hang out with my little brother.
That was a thing that definitely put Charlotte on the map for me, and then I got the chance to tour Charlotte and was like, “I love it here.”
What stood out in your first year on campus?
You know how when people are moving from high school to college they say that this is their chance to reinvent themself? I think a lot of students would be able to identify with how I wasn't necessarily happy with some things and the person I was in high school. I really challenged myself — when moving to college for my first year — to have a motto each year. My first-year motto was: How bad do I want to be a better person? How bad do I want to become the woman that I aspire to be?
Every decision that I would make, I would ask myself that question. If it didn't fall in line with those things, I didn't do it. So I sought out organizations with women who I thought I would like to be like. Finding organizations that took me under their wing and that I felt comfortable in propelled me to continue to do great things.
How much have you grown in your time at Charlotte?
I've grown immensely. My best friend and I went to high school together, and I remember she was telling someone: “Ryen is a completely different person in an amazing way.” Not that I was a bad person in high school, I'm just a different person. I think when people talk to me they sense my confidence; my aura just radiates. I've always been a confident person, but it's more so understanding and standing in my own womanhood that has changed. I know I'm powerful and I know my worth, and it radiates in everything that I do and everyone that I'm with.
How did you deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and what is it like being back on campus?
I'm a cheerleader, and I had surgery in my freshman year. I wasn't allowed to run for a really long time, so that's something I did during that time when everyone was home due to COVID. I practiced my running so that I could be prepared for when we came back to campus.
I know that seems irrelevant to a lot of people, but the fact that I could finally run a mile was a really big deal because for two years I wasn't able to run like that.
Why did you want to become a Niner 9, and what was it like to be nominated?
For starters, I know that COVID was really rough on everyone and I've been in a lot of spaces with a lot of great leaders, so I figured all those great leaders would apply. Obviously it's a competition, but I thought it would be an honor to even be a part of anything; to say that I applied for this or to put myself out there.
What was the moment like when you found out you were named the Golden Niner?
I'm really easygoing. When I won I was just like “What? OK? OK! I won!” Literally in the pictures and videos I'm like, “I won?” Because, in that moment, I'm standing there thinking that yes, I was obviously surprised, but also in the same breath I'm not because I know I’ve worked hard, I know I'm a good person, I know people value me and I know my worth. So as surprised as I was, I had to bring it back to not be too, too humble about it, because that's a thing about leaders, too, sometimes we're too humble.
The court was amazing, I thoroughly enjoyed everyone. I know at some schools, it can be real catty, that was not the aura at all. I would have been happy with literally any person that won just as they feel happy for me, which I think is rare to see. But that is the point as to why we are changing Homecoming Court to be more inclusive, to prove that this can actually happen. UNC Charlotte did a great job at proving that. I was also the only person of color on the court, so for me to say that I had a really amazing experience, it allows them to trust the process a lot more.
When I go back to the things that I told myself I wanted to be and to do my freshman year, I can honestly look myself in the mirror and say that I've accomplished all of those. I said I wanted to be someone on this campus, so I did things to be someone on this campus, and now I'm literally the Golden Niner. That's pretty cool, I think it's a moment for me to pat myself on the back.
What advice would you give to Charlotte students about what you've learned in your time on campus?
One, to trust yourself and that it's OK to choose yourself. I'm friends with a lot of people who are involved, and oftentimes I have to be the one to remind them that their organizations will still function if they decide to take a day off.
Constantly having grace is a big one, and choosing a thing that you're passionate about, but that it's OK for your passions to change. Academic-wise, I've always known pretty much the route that I wanted to do, so I'm fortunate enough to not have to experience the stress of changing my major. But if you do, that's OK too. You're going about your pathway.
What are you hoping to do in the rest of your time at Charlotte?
Just stay afloat. To graduate. I have two internships in the spring. I'd like to continue doing everything that I am doing, however I recognize now that I have another responsibility and I might have to cut back on something, and that's OK.
I'm going to do everything that I can to get the most out of my college experience. Especially since COVID took my sophomore and junior years away. My senior year has been amazing. I have no regrets over my college experience at all, and I'm just going to continue to prove what it means to be a dedicated and devoted Niner.