By LAURA BORRELLI
Sports Editor
Students find themselves questioning what their purpose in life is. For Sarah Franzken, a senior at The College of Saint Rose, her purpose in life of serving others aligns with the mission of Saint Rose.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph founded Saint Rose with a mission to “serve thy neighbor.” Franzken said she wants people to feel valued and worthy of services they need. Saint Rose’s programs give strategies and skills to help people realize this mission.
“If only we all just tried we could make an impact,” Franzken said. There is lots of outreach in the Albany community and Franzken tries to touch the heart of everyone she meets.She knew she could make the biggest impact in schools.
Franzken graduated with a bachelors in communication sciences and disorders, or CSD, and will be continuing her journey at Saint Rose to get a masters in CSD. Franzken originally came to Saint Rose as a biology and chemistry major and wanted to study occupational therapy but did not enjoy her major at all.
“CSD is my true calling,” Franzken said. Her resident assistant, Jenna Hopper, saw Franzken struggle with her classes, and influenced her to look into the CSD program. Franzken said she is happy to be on the right track following her passion of serving others.
Joan Horgan, director of spiritual life at the college, has known Franzken for four years and believes CSD is a perfect fit. Horgan knows that CSD gives Franzken the opportunity to assist others.
“I was often touched by how much those children meant to her, even the ones who were rough and wounded by life,” Horgan wrote about Franzken coming back from her placement in Albany. Franzken serves the students in the school and it gives her joy to help others.
Franzken was able to fulfill her mission by coming to Saint Rose. Franzken saw a commercial with her twin sister, Kayla Franzken, in ninth grade and ever since that day she knew she wanted to come with her sister. After visiting schools she knew Saint Rose was her home.
When they attended a Knight for a Day program, it was a gloomy, snowy day. Franzken remembers it being one of the coldest days but she knew it was right.
“Everyone gets that feeling when you find something you truly love,” Franzken said.
Franzken always wanted to attend college with her sister because she knew the experience would never be the same. When she saw her sister just as happy as she was during Knight for a Day, she wanted to go to Saint Rose even more than before.
During Franzken’s journey at Saint Rose she took every advantage to be a part of every opportunity to serve others. One of her favorite clubs is Colleges Against Cancer (CAC). She has been a part of the “absolute best club” for four years.
She has had a leadership role for three years. She was lumanaria chair, co-relay chair with her sister, and secretary. Her sophomore year Franzken enjoyed working with her sister to create a Dr. Seuss theme for Relay for Life. That year they raised close to 19,000, one of the highest amounts relay has raised.
Franzken is an active member, and loves that she gets to know everyone who all share the same passion to fight against cancer. This club shows how Saint Rose is actively fighting and interested in changing the world.
Cancer has affected Franzken’s life significantly and wants to be able to make a difference. Her loved ones may have a new fight, but by being a part of CAC she is able to fight right alongside them.
Aside from her passion for CAC, Franzken has been a resident assistant for three years. She was placed in Brubacher HAll, RCC, and Fontbonne Hall. Franzken learned about herself and what it means to be a leader on campus.
“If there is one job in the whole world that I can achieve to the best of my abilities, it was being an RA,” Franzken said. Just like CSD, it was another calling to help serve others in the Saint Rose community.
Franzken said she works better with others, and was so happy to be able to make programs or go on rounds with other RAs. At the end of her position as an RA, Franzken was initially excited to never get a call about a student being locked out again, but now that she knows she never will, it is something she wasn’t ready to let go yet.
Franzken said she was able to meet so many new people and see herself grow as well as everyone else around her as an RA. She was surrounded by such an amazing staff and supervisors. Alexander Wheeler, one of her supervisors, is one of her biggest supporters in her years at Saint Rose.
Franzken said she gets nervous very often, and Wheeler always knew what to say to calm her down. Franzken said that when she was applying for grad school, she was always nervous, and Wheeler would encourage Franzken that she could do it, but telling her about the future where she already has accomplished her goals about getting into grad school.
“Alex is the most thoughtful person I know,” Franzken said. She said she is so grateful to have met him. Wheeler had made a huge impact on Franzken’s school years.
Wheeler has known Franzken for three years and said he loves her drive and passion in everything she does. He described Franzken as optimistic, outgoing, and extremely empathetic.
“She is a humble, hardworking individual and always took opportunities to have our staff reflect on their unique privilege as an RA,” Wheeler wrote in an email. Franzken is a valuable member of the RA staff, and Wheeler knows her love for helping others will help her with her career in CSD.
Franzken is a secretary for the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA). She helped run the Just Keep Speaking event that raised money for the fluency program at Saint Rose.
Her favorite part of the club is speaking to the underclassmen. Franzken loves to interact with others who have the same passion as her. She is able to be a mentor and give tips about the program or different classes to those who were in the same place as she was.
Someone who Franzken has been able to share her journey with was Arianna Paul. Paul had met Franzken her freshman year. They lived on the same floor in Lima Hall and have been friends ever since. Paul wrote in an email that Franzken is selfless and just wants to help others.
Paul said that her Saint Rose experience has been impacted by Franzken, and that she knows others feel the same. Paul believes that she lives to help others and is the voice for the voiceless.
“Her bright and warm soul made everyone smile no matter who they were and people will always remember that about her,” Paul wrote. Franzken’s warm personality affects everyone who she meets. Paul said she will miss Franzken, but knows that she is going to shine in the future.
Religion and faith is something very important in Franzken’s life. Franzken and her sister were raised Roman Catholic and attended mass every Sunday in college. Her faith is something that defines her as a person. She has been able to rely on faith in the hard times in her life.
Franzken is a part of the Catholic Student Organization and the club and her faith supported her through her time at Saint Rose. It is like a safety net for Franzken. Her grandparents were always faithful, and she wanted to respect them and show them the same love through her faith.
The Catholic Student Organization has helped strengthened Franzken’s relationship with faith, even when she is far from home. Her faith helps her recognize that she is never alone.
Through Franzken’s involvement in faith and Saint Rose’s mission, Sister Sean, the former director of mission experience at Saint Rose, chose Franzken and her sister to travel to Le Puy, France their sophomore year to learn about the Sisters of Saint Joseph and the history of how the college was founded.
Horgan wrote in an email that both Franzken and her sister have love and admiration for the Sisters that founded the college. Both girls “embodied the most essential and beautiful parts of the mission of the college.”
Franzken said that it was the coolest experience ever, and without the sisters, the college would never have been founded. Franzken felt honored to be one of the people to bring back the history of the school and share it with everyone.
Horgan said she has known Sarah since day one. She described Franzken as a kind and thoughtful person. Franzken is heavily involved in different ways to create better experiences for others, and Horgan loves to hear about Franzken’s experiences and stories because Franzken is so passionate with everything she is involved in.
Horgan wrote that Franzken brings a sense of humor and kindness to the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is the place where people can strengthen their place, but it is a home, because of people like Franzken who bring it warmth.
“Sarah works so hard at being a really good human being,” Horgan wrote. She brings faith and God’s love to all of the small things in life. She applies her faith and kindness to her RA position, and other leadership positions she holds on campus.
Horgan wrote that she could tear up because of “the simple and beautiful care she brings.” Horgan will surely miss Franzken, she said, but knows that she will still be around Saint Rose and still aspire to spread the mission of Saint Rose.
One of Franzken’s favorite spots on campus that brings a smile to her face is the campus quad. It is a place where she can socialize and enjoy times with her friends. Samuel Statham, a fellow graduate, met Franzken during their freshman year and bonded over late night games and singing on the quad.
Statham said Franzken is an “unsung hero” because of all of her efforts in leadership roles around campus. Aside from her roles in her clubs and RA position, Statham recognizes her caring personality that not only positively affected him, but others on campus.
One memory Statham has of Franzken is when she came to a soccer game to cheer for Statham, and she sat through the cold and rainy night to support him and the team. This moment describes who Franzken is: caring.
“Sarah cares more about the fact that she was there supporting not just me but the team …she truly is an inspiration to anyone she meets,” Statham wrote in an email.
Franzken is also involved in the Happiness Support Project organized by Horgan. It is the perfect place for Franzken to catch up with friends and find ways to cope when you aren’t happy. It is a club that relates to everyone’s life because everyone faces ups and downs, Franzken said.
“It is the dose of happiness I didn’t know I needed every week,” Franzken said. The meetings are on every Wednesday, and it is in the perfect spot during the week for an uplifting moment that Franzken is so grateful for.
Franzken and her sister will be living in Albany together. Franzken is happy she will be with her sister, but is sad that her sister’s journey at Saint Rose is going to end.
“It isn’t going to be the same without Kayla,” Franzken said. They have been together at the same school for as long as Franzken can remember. Although they will be separated, Franzken is looking forward to the opportunity to stay at Saint Rose.
Franzken may have finished her undergraduate degree, but will be back in the fall for her graduate program. Franzken knew that she always wanted to apply to the graduate program at Saint Rose. It is a very selective program, but Franzken knew it was the only place for her.
Franzken could start a new journey of her life and still be able to follow her purpose of following others. Her happy place is Saint Rose, and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
Everyone is moving on different stages of their lives but Franzken knows the friendships she made will last forever. Franzken is going to have to adjust her life but is excited to continue doing what she loves at Saint Rose.
