Stories

Communication and Business
Tumon, Guam 

Hallie Wigsten ‘24 is making the best of things. For the talented athletics standout, losing out on her final soccer season due to Covid-19 was disappointing to say the least.

“I was looking forward to being able to have those last couple of moments with my coaches and my team,” she says. In spite of the letdown, she’s thankful for the many happy memories of her high school years, especially her junior prom—when she snagged the title of “Most Glamorous” after swapping her soccer uniform for an evening gown.

Located at the International Dateline, Guam is 17 hours ahead of the West Coast which means some of Wigsten’s college classes begin at 3:30 am. “Other Guam-based students have told me how tough it is, so I'm nervous—but I think I'm prepared,” she says.

For all the excitement of (eventually) arriving on campus, she’ll miss eating local delicacies like Chamorro-style barbecue, red rice, and pickled mango. Her mother has already told her she plans on calling daily, and she will FaceTime with friends whenever she can. In the meantime, she’s enjoying the Netflix series Adrift, helping her parents teach her younger sister to drive, and taking advantage of the extended time with family. 

Although far from home, Wigsten is anxious to share her life and culture with new friends at Santa Clara. But one quintessentially American experience she hasn’t had? Taking an Uber. While most everyone in Guam owns a car, it’s a relatively small island and ride share services aren’t as common. 

Wigsten is also amused by people’s surprise when she tells them where she’s from, joking that her autobiography could be called “The Girl from Guam.” People have asked “if it’s in Africa, or they want to know if we have cars here and things like that,” she says, laughing. “But it makes me proud when people ask because it lets me represent my culture a little bit.” 

Written by Jennifer Wooliscroft