Ronin Ruerup loves to fish!
Ronin Ruerup’s Tlingit name is Ts’e Na, and he is a member of the Chookaneidi, brown bear clan. Ronin was raised in Fairbanks, Alaska and possesses strong family ties to Hoonah, Alaska. These communities are about 715 miles apart. Ronin enjoys spending time with his family in Hoonah developing his traditional knowledge of Tlingit culture. Ronin dances with his grandpa’s Tlingit dance group, the Gaaxw Xaayi (Duck Point) Dancers, and he likes to go hunting and fishing, always sure to share with the elders in the community. Ronin loves traveling to new places to experience different ways of knowing and living.
During the school year, Ronin always puts in his best effort and strives for excellence in his coursework and extracurricular activities. He enjoys and actively participates in robotics and Future Farmers of America (FFA). This is Ronin’s third year in FFA, learning about agriculture, having fun, meeting new people from around the nation and developing leadership skills to help and serve society. He was recently elected as a state officer for a one-year term and represents FFA for the entire state of Alaska. Ronin is also the FFA chapter president for his school, Effie Kokrine Early Charter School where he is a rising junior. Ronin began University classes last academic year through the Early College program at his school.
When Ronin is not in school, he enjoys spending time with friends or family and just about anything outdoors, including camping, picnics, hiking, boat trips and exploring. He really enjoys fishing -- whether it’s with a net or by pole, in open water or on the ice, it is a favorite pastime. Last summer Ronin did a lot of fishing with his uncle and on one trip they got about 300 sockeye, marking Ronin’s largest haul to date. Ronin also enjoys reading and prefers comedic relief in books. During the winter he likes to go sledding and snow skating with friends and family. Being from Fairbanks, Alaska, Ronin is comfortable in the cold!
Ronin likes school and is dedicated to graduating with a high GPA and currently plans on attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He actively pursues opportunities to explore career options in the sciences to guide his college degree path. Ronin is very excited and happy that he was accepted to JSEP and so grateful to go to Greenland.