ADVENTURES AT FRANKLIN

Somehow in the blink of an eye, after four years at Franklin, we are graduating this weekend!! So for our final blogpost we thought we'd do a joint Q & A and answer some questions to offer our final advice about life at Franklin. We miss you all already!  Q: What advice would you give to your freshmen self?  Jessica: Don’t be afraid to speak up more in class! I took a few upper level courses my freshmen year. And especially my first semester when I had a few classes with older students I was so intimidated by them that even though I did all the readings, was regularly prepared for class and had things to contribute to the discussion, I often stayed silent. Huge mistake. Now that I am a senior it's so apparent to me that I should have contributed more! I had legitimate points to add to the discussion, and moreover I was probably a lot more prepared than some of those seniors were ;) Plus professors notice who is participating in class and you’ll make a bette...

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...

Students hard at work! A new and exciting happening at Franklin this year has been the successful opening of the Fowler Learning Commons. This space was created through a generous gift from alumna and trustee, Angela Fowler, and has expanded our student study space on campus tremendously. Located on Franklin's North Campus, this space has provided an even better locale for students to come study, hang out, and get tutoring help with our fantastic  Writing and Learning Center  students. The loveliest study space. Our Director of the Writing and Learning Center,  Professor Ann Gardiner , spoke of the space, saying: "The ways in which students learn today have changed dramatically over the last two decades, with a new emphasis on collaborative and technology-enhanced learning. A typical learning commons space includes not only quiet space for individual study, but also casual reading spaces, group study areas, brainstorming environments, presentation preparatio...

^^ gorgeous Magnolia blossoms near the train station, welcome spring!!  In accordance with trying to impart all of my senior year wisdom to the next generation of Franklin students before I graduate, this post is all about 'how to live in Lugano and LOVE it!' It is one part a collection of my favorite places in & around town, and one part tips for living well in Lugano!  First, the places:  SORENGO & MONTAGNOLA (Our Neighborhood) -- The Monastery / There is a beautiful monastery above the New Building and Giardino dorms that is easily accessible to students. You can either take the stone stairs by the Giardino dorm (behind Giardino, on the back path between the Giardino dorm and New Building, not via Ponte Tresa) OR if you are taking the back path to North Campus from the New Building residence just turn left at the elementary school instead of right and you will reach the monastery. It offers a perfect bench to take in the view.  -- Lag...

Hello everyone! The past two weeks encompassed several of the most beautiful moments of my life so far. I had the great fortune to travel to South Africa with 22 seniors who I feel so grateful to know. Professor Zanecchia gave us the gift of a lifetime by sharing his time, energy and love of South Africa with our class. It's really difficult to put into words how incredible of an Academic Travel it was, but I will try! The theme of our travel course was Culture and Resource Conservation  where we focused on the challenges of economic and political development and the ties to wildlife and natural resource conservation. We were lucky enough to partner with a fantastic organization,  Conservation Global  and were led by Franklin alumna, Ellie Leaning '14, around the Cape Town region. Ellie worked in Boston before moving to South Africa to join Conservation Global. The organization was founded in 2011 with the motive to provide students within the facult...