Meet Nagib Afani

A Home Away from Home – From Mexico to the Midwest

While Franklin College is a small liberal arts school in the middle of the Midwest, the attraction of its academic programs reaches far and wide, even so far as Mexico. Most students wouldn’t dream of living states away from their childhood home, let alone in a different country, but for a psychology major graduating in 2023, Nagib Afani, the distance was exciting.

Student Nagib AfaniManaging the social aspect of college and when to go home comes with its own challenges, especially for international students during COVID times. However, Afani got lucky with not just a supportive biological family but with a golf team family.

“I feel like my friends from my golf team took me in really quickly. They helped it feel more like home in the beginning,” said Afani. “Having teammates and friends to keep each other accountable with not only sports but academically as well helps. If we see somebody struggling, we go to them to help. It is like a little family.”

Unlike the United States, playing a sport at a collegiate level is unheard of in other countries. Mexico is no exception. Afani grew up golfing and dreamed of continuing his career past high school. For him, Franklin College fulfilled that dream to perfection.

“It is super hard to play golf in Mexico, so being able to come here, have a gym to work at, and courses to play at is really helpful,” said Afani. “I wanted to play golf and Franklin was the only place that I could pursue my studies and play golf at the same time. It was a no-brainer.”

Franklin College abounds with opportunities to pursue multiple interests academically and personally.

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