Jenna Anderson-

This week’s Gustie of the Week is Senior Erika Henrichs. From Greek Life to being a Greeter to many honors societies, Henrichs is deeply involved in the Gustavus community. She holds leadership positions across campus and is described by one of her roommates, Senior Sophia Brown, as, “the most driven and hardworking person I know. She gets involved wherever she can and always wants to help people.”

Henrichs is an Elementary Education major. Ever since she can remember, she has wanted to be a teacher; “I have two older sisters and I used to play teacher with them,” Henrichs said. She chose Gustavus for the education department. “I heard a lot of super awesome things about the education department and just how it sets you up for so much success in the future,” she said. 

Now that she is a senior, she has experienced four years of the department firsthand. Henrichs is planning to apply for teaching jobs in Minnesota in under a semester: “I feel very prepared and very confident in my abilities that the ed[ucation] department has provided.” When talking to Associate Professor in Education, Amy Vizenor, she shared the sentiment. “Erika will be a fantastic elementary teacher. Her future students are fortunate to have her!” Vizenor said.

The biggest thing Henrichs is involved in on campus is Greek Life. She is the co-president of the Order of Omega Honors Society, she has served on the Inter-Greek Council, and she was the Co-President of Theta Xi Gamma sorority for the past full term, as well as having held many other positions within the sorority over the years. 

When Henrichs was a Sophomore, she recalls saying, “I will never be in a sorority.” She signed up for recruitment with her friends anyway, just to give it a shot. After the first night, she loved the connections she had made with new people. “The more I learned about Greek Life at Gustavus, the more I learned that it’s not like [the] traditional ‘what people see Greek Life as’ at bigger schools,” she said. “There’s a lot of purpose behind Greek Life at Gustavus, and I have been able to grow as a person and professionally and I’ve developed so many leadership skills,” Henrichs said. Through being a Theta, Henrichs has been able to develop strong relationships with other women, serve the community, make connections on and off campus, and improve her leadership skills.

Another of Henrichs’ roommates, Senior Willa Brown, said “Erika is a very involved Gustie. She puts her all into her organizations and involvements; she works her hardest to better everything she is a part of. She doesn’t back down from a challenge and works both up front and behind the scenes. If there’s a chance for her to be on an exec. board for her involvements, she’ll be there!” Her final roommate, Senior Caroline Sauer, said “Erika is an incredibly hardworking individual, who manages to balance all her campus involvements and her friendships incredibly well.”

Henrichs was previously involved in the American Cancer Society, Big Partner Little Partner, Gustie Buddies, and was a Gustie Greeter. She is currently in Kappa Delta Phi educational honors society, Phi Beta Kappa international honor society, Student Educators Association, and she is a member of the Guild of St. Lucia and the Lucia Singers. She is also the Advancement Committee student representative, so “I get to sit in on those meetings and give my input as a student and just represent the student body.”

Andrea Junso, who Henrichs worked with through Gustie Greeters and Greek Life, has been one of the most influential people on Henrichs’s Gustavus journey. “She has taught me how to lead with kindness and thoughtfulness, and lead by example,” Henrichs said. “She is the type of person who sees people’s strengths that they don’t see in themselves.” 

Henrichs is also very thankful for her roommates, Willa Brown, Sophie Brown, and Caroline Sauer, for their support on her Gustavus journey. “They have pushed me to do my very best,” Henrichs said. “They’ve celebrated all of my small victories and big victories and they’ve seen all of the hard work that I’ve put in,” she said. “They are true lifelong friends.”

Henrich’s heart for service and natural leadership has such a positive impact on the Gustavus community. Professor Vizenor described Henrichs as “such a bright light… Open, positive, friendly, and optimistic, Erika makes others feel included and easily builds rapport with all types of people,” Vizenor said.

Community, Henrichs emphasized, is one of the most important things about her time at Gustavus. “I’ve loved all of the little communities I’ve created within Gustavus,” she said. She also talked about how supportive the community has been in the education department. “They truly want you to be your best and they are cheering for you every step of the way, which is amazing,” she said.