Taking the Long Way Home
First-year student Regan Hendricks found her home at Franklin College but first she ventured out-of-state to another school in Kentucky. Having grown up in Franklin, Indiana and attended the local high school, Regan initially wanted to expand her horizons.
“I thought I wanted to get away from home and go to a bigger college but ended up not enjoying it as much. It’s not that far, but it felt far.” – Hendricks
Regan went to Kentucky not knowing anyone, and then strict COVID-19 restrictions and having all classes online further complicated her opportunities to make friends. After one semester, she decided to attend Franklin College, where she instantly bonded with the girls on the swim team and found it easier to develop relationships with both faculty and students in her classes.
With multiple safety precautions in place, Franklin College has been able to maintain in-person classes for most of the 2020-2021 school year. For a college that truly knows the value of one-on-one instruction and boasts an 11-to-1 student to teacher ratio, keeping classes in person as much as possible has been essential and highly valued by students.
“I’ve met a lot of people here. It’s easy to develop relationships here with faculty and people in my classes, which I like. The faculty and advisers are so welcoming and easy to talk to.” – Hendricks.
Among those staff members is Regan’s dad, Andrew Hendricks, Franklin College’s director of athletics and swim coach. Some students might not want a parent on campus, but not Regan, who said it feels “normal.”
Amid a global pandemic, everyone is striving for a new normal. At Franklin College, you’ll find more…you’ll find a home.