Finding Your Second Family
Many of Indiana’s best born and bred Hoosier students attend Franklin College. A college close to home offers several advantages in that parents are close by if needed, the area is not completely unfamiliar territory and getting home for breaks is easy. Yet, not every Franklin College student calls Indiana their permanent home.
Alum Emmarae Arensdorff came to Midwestern Franklin College all the way from sunny Pomona, California. Coming from a state with roughly 39 million people to Indiana’s 6 million, the English major quickly realized Franklin’s promise of a small, caring family was no joke.
“Coming from a big state, I greatly appreciate the small, inclusive community. It creates a sense of belonging and allows for great relationships to grow. Personally, before coming to Indiana I was a very reserved person who had the outlook that every man was for himself. But having come to Franklin, I better understand that there are people who do care for others even if they barely know them.” – Arensdorff
Recognizing that each student who steps onto campus has a unique background and life experience, Franklin College refuses to use a one-size-fits-all mindset. The Franklin College educational experience is designed to cater to individual wants and needs.
For example, though not being from Indiana presents its own unique problems, especially during uncertain times, Emmarae found the college’s community rises to the challenge.
“Through this pandemic and even for holidays, I have had offers from faculty members to help me as much as they can and offered their home to me. I often have many professors and other faculty members check in on me to make sure everything is okay.” – Arensdorff
The faculty members’ willingness to go above and beyond for their students helped Emmarae feel at home at Franklin – even when her home is thousands of miles away.
“I believe that you get a sense of belonging and that you matter. Personally, I enjoy the conversations with professors and other faculty members and getting to know them.” – Arensdorff
Franklin College professors aren’t here to lecture you in massive classes. They’re here to help you succeed in any way that they can – even when that means opening their homes to you. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. At Franklin College, you’re family.