ADVENTURES AT FRANKLIN

This semester has flown by, filled with a myriad of fun events which have been packing Franklin students' schedule tight. Holi: Festival of Colors My absolute favorite Franklin event is Holi, the Indian celebration of colors, meant to ring in spring and celebrate life. This year's festivities were no exception -- it was an incredible event which a majority of the student body turned out for!    Franklin Seniors and best friends, celebrating Holi one last time! Lovely ladies representing Switzerland, Brazil, the U.S., Greece, and Saudi Arabia! TedX Lugano Another recent successful spring event was the third annual TEDx Lugano , which attracted a host of Franklin faces, as well as local Lugano residents. This TEDx event focused was themed "Future Wealth" and some of Franklin's very own professors were speakers at this amazing event on campus. The speakers at the event included medical visionaries, designers, international explorers, in...

Photo courtesy of delapaix.ch Hi everyone! I hope you all had lovely and productive weeks. This past weekend we celebrated Carnevale here in Ticino , which meant Franklin students had the opportunity to dress up and participate in the ample festivities in the region. Rabadan , the carnival which takes place in Bellinzona each February, is one of the largest carnevale celebrations in Switzerland, along with the events that take place in Basel and Luzern around this time. During this time you can find many Franklin students heading to Bellinzona, about 30 minutes away by train, to celebrate. Carnevale in Bellinzona was founded in 1800s, but has gained in popularity immensely in the hundred-plus years since its initiation. This year was the 153rd celebration of Carnevale, which involves local bands performances, children's parades, costumes, and traditional foods and drinks. There is actually even a Rabadan committee - each year a King and Queen are appointed to pre...

Downtown Lugano this weekend Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog! I am so thrilled to be joined this semester by our original Adventures at Franklin blogger, Jessica. She is back after spending a year studying in the United States and we are thrilled to welcome her back. We will be combining our experiences and different backgrounds this spring to publish a series of posts that we hope you will find entertaining, informative, and fun to read, including an alumni feature, a spotlight on the academic resources at Franklin, a post about the Graduate studies program, an Academic Travel post. But we also want to hear about topics you want to learn more about, so tell us more in comments section. Parco Ciani , a 20 minute walk from campus I am looking forward to this spring, but it is so bittersweet. Four years came and went in a blink of an eye and I cannot believe I have finally reached our last semester at Franklin. I am headed to South Africa for Academic Travel...

Hello Lugano! Senior year has been a time of reflection as I navigate through these last months here at Franklin. There are countless lessons I've learned over these past four years, but I thought it would be fun to narrow it down to 10 key lessons to share with prospective students. Exploring Ponte Tresa, a nearby town across the border in 2012 1. Home becomes the people you love-- not a place. I have found more than ever I do not identify as much with Boston being my home, but home is the family that makes me happy, both here and in the United States. Lugano is my second home because of the students and members of the community who make it joyful, comforting, and exciting. 2. Office hours are REALLY important. During my first semester, I was too nervous to visit the office of several of my professors, and man, what a mistake that was. Our professors are such a huge resource Franklin offers, whether it is for academic support or just talking through a bad day, ...

Hello there! I just got back from Fall Academic Travel to Cyprus, and it was absolutely magical. This was my second-to-last Academic Travel  and therefore, very bittersweet. I couldn't help but reflect on my very first Academic Travel while I was there, when I went to London to study the Bloomsbury writers (Virgina Woolf, E.M. Forster, etc.). It was during that trip to London in October of 2012 with Professor Peat when I really began to understand what Franklin was about. I made friends on my freshman travel to London who I still count among my closest friends at Franklin four years later. It seemed very full circle to appreciate and remember how it felt to go on my very first fall travel, and now my very last fall travel.  On this trip, we explored the island of Cyprus, and it was interesting to learn about both the Greek and Turkish influences in the country. We focused on the history, culture, politics, and art of the island, and gained an insight on the mul...

Hi everyone! Following the positive response I received in the spring regarding the professor interviews that I did with several of our wonderful faculty members, I thought it would be good to gather a few more! As I have always firmly believed, the dynamic between students and faculty here is incredibly unique and special. These Franklin perspectives give a peek into what it's like to be at Franklin. Thank you to Professors Della Croce, Vogelaar, and Rocourt for their time - it is so appreciated!   Professor Della Croce Assistant Professor, Biology and Environmental Sciences Originally from: Lugano, Switzerlan d Pre-Franklin: M.S. Swiss Institute of Technology, Zurich; Ph.D. Montana State University Length of time teaching at Franklin: 2 years Professor, how did you end up at Franklin University Switzerland? Well, I am originally from Lugano, and had previously been living in Bozeman, Montana doing research there and getting my Ph.D. I started at Fr...