Ryan Jencks

Should’ve Been a Cowboy: Senior Discusses His Desire for the Wild West Lifestyle

Ryan Jerald Jencks is a current senior at Madison High School. He was born December 6th of 2007 in Sioux Falls and has resided in Madison ever since. Ryan has a family of 8-consisting of his parents, Rachael and David; brother, Tyler; and 4 sisters: Marissa, Whitney, Ainsley, and Audrey. His biggest role model is his dad, since he is very successful, smart, and “pretty funny.” 

Ryan enjoys spending his free time outside, specifically hiking or on the lake. His favorite color just happens to be blue, dark blue specifically, because it reminds him of the water. If given $5 million to spend, Ryan would use it on a Centurion boat for surfing and a BMW X4 which is his dream car. When asked of one thing he couldn’t live without, he states “summer, because it’s my favorite season, it’s the best, it’s warm, and it’s just vibes, you know.” Ryan says his spirit animal would be a snail because they take life “slow and steady” and of course, spend a lot of time in nature. 

After high school, Ryan plans to attend the South Dakota School of Mines to major in mining and petroleum engineering. If he could live anywhere in the world he would live in Wyoming or Montana because of their wide open spaces. If given the opportunity to play any type of character, Ryan says he would want to be a cowboy in the Wild West because he wants to ride a horse and wear big boots. In his words; “I would make a great cowboy.” In ten years, he sees himself fulfilling his dream of living in Wyoming, or somewhere with mountains, accompanied by a family and a stable job. Ryan’s advice for underclassmen is to study. He also says, “don’t worry about what others think of you” which reflects his life motto, “for the plot,” meaning life is too short, make the most of it.