2009 Senior Class Gift

The Class of 2009 graduated in May but left behind a tribute to Franklin – the senior class gift. This year the seniors voted on an environmentally friendly and sustainable gift, a water fountain in the North Campus Academic Building. Previously there had been no public drinking fountain on North Campus and the only option for thirsty students was to buy bottled water from a vending machine. The senior class gift campaign, led by class representative Emily Boynton of Aurora, Colorado, raised more than $2,600 to sponsor the installation of the fountain.

During her fundraising efforts, Emily found that “most of the senior class were very involved in the progress and development of Franklin, most wanted to leave a positive mark on the College through monetary or other means.” The determination of the senior class members to leave an upbeat legacy led to an unprecedented 55% of the class participating in the gift. With more than half of the seniors donating, the class was able to raise funds not only for the fountain but also for the previously established senior class scholarship endowment. “The members of the graduating class were willing to give back to a school in which they had invested a lot of time, effort and emotion,” explains Emily with regard to high rate of participation.

In the hope of inspiring the seniors’ efforts further, a fundraising challenge was generously offered by alumni and staff members Jake and Christina Cornelius. The challenge offered a 10-percent match of the goal of $2,009 if 50 percent of the seniors participated in the gift and a 20-percent match if 100 percent of the seniors contributed. The challenge was met and helped push the senior class contribution over the $2,600 mark. “I am very proud of the great accomplishments the members of the Class of 2009 achieved during their time at Franklin,” says Emily, who enthusiastically served as the class fundraising representative. “I really enjoyed working and having fun with this graduating class.”

Four years ago Emily decided to come to Franklin after falling in love with the location, the opportunities to get involved, and the school’s majors, size and unique programs, especially Academic Travel. She immediately got involved on campus and served on Student Assembly for four years; she also participated in Lugano Street Dance and Franklin’s Theater Society. No one will soon forget her entrancing portrayal of an extremely talented singing and dancing Snoopy in the musical comedy You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in the spring of 2009. Of her experience at Franklin, Emily comments, “Through my involvement in various school organizations and through the people with whom I worked, I have learned great communication and organization skills that have enabled me to interact with a variety of people while remaining independent and self-assured in any situation.”

Franklin’s biggest impact on Emily was the opportunity it offered her to travel and the world experience she gained. “My travels around the world have definitely given me more independence and gusto then I ever thought I could obtain,” she says. “Specifically, though, my most unforgettable and influential experience was going to Cairo, Egypt, as a representative of Student Assembly to the International Student Summit. There I learned how best to communicate and work with culturally diverse and independently minded people.”

Because of her positive experiences at Franklin, the importance of alumni support of the College was a compelling issue that Emily shared with the class at regular meetings, events and during personal, one-on-one conversations. She made sure all the seniors understood that “giving back as alumni not only means that you appreciated your education and experiences at Franklin, it also helps to ensure the progress of the College so that many more students may have similar great experiences in the future.”

Emily wishes the best to the upcoming senior class and hopes that “they will be able to surpass the results of this year by accumulating even more participation and continuing to inspire true desire to give back to Franklin for each student’s own personal reasons. I would like to see the next senior class representative do better than anyone has before to connect with the whole senior class.”

May 2009