����ӰԺ

����ӰԺ is a place where students from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages converge to pursue their ambitions and aspirations. As knowledge explorers, they embody confidence and curiosity, driven by a desire to engage with the world on a global scale.

Check out the story of Arpi Khachatryan from Yerevan, Armenia, who graduated in May 2023. She is now ready to pursue her college career and tells us how her four years at Franklin have brought her closer to achieving her goals!

How has the liberal arts approach contributed to your personal and intellectual growth over the past four years?

As important as our majors are in determining our future professions, it is the liberal arts approach at ����ӰԺ that shapes us as individuals within those professions. Now looking back, I can’t imagine having been able to understand cultural studies and think critically as much in depth as we do at Franklin, without taking classes outside of my major like music classes, math, philosophy, photography, and much more. Liberal arts approach was especially important to me as an aspiring filmmaker because that is the profession where a lot fields are interconnected, and in order to understand one – you need to have an idea about all of them.

Could you share some specific experiences or courses at Franklin that you feel have been instrumental in preparing you for your future academic pursuits?

All of them! Truly!! I haven’t taken a single class I haven’t liked and which hasn’t contributed both to my personal well-roundedness and my professional growth. What about courses that have been instrumental for my future academic pursuits – as I am going to pursue media studies and filmmaking at grad school, I’d like to highlight three courses: LIT 370 - Myths of Belonging: The Literature and Film of Aotearoa-New Zealand, which has been the start of it all, as I’ve shot my first short film, "Have A Whisky, Ruānuku: a modern fake tragicomedy of New Zealand's colonization", for this class; CLCS 230T - Science Fiction: Envisioning the Possible, a class that was not only super cool as it gave me to better understand and analyze the philosophies and theories behind my favorite sci-fi movies, especially as I’m a big fan of 70s sci-fi, but also I could apply all that to my own movie, "Don’t Trust Tarkovsky",��which that course gave me the opportunity to make; and MUS 213: Classical Music in Film, which gave me the opportunity to better understand how film scores work and apply that knowledge in my projects! ��

In what ways do you believe the international environment and cultural diversity at Franklin have shaped your perspective and enhanced your overall educational experience?

In all possible ways?! Haha, international environment and cultural diversity are one of Franklin’s ace cards for a good reason! We are the product of our environment, and Franklin’s diverse community has definitely pushed me to be more mindful, knowledgeable, curious, and respectful, all of which not only reflected on my personal life but how I approached my learning material – especially as a cultural studies student.

Can you tell us about the support and guidance you received from faculty and staff at Franklin during your academic journey? How did it contribute to your success in securing admission to the graduate university?

My academic and thesis advisors Professor Roy and Professor Ferrari always went out of their way to support my film projects and educational goals even if those seemed unreasonable at times; Professor Marin was a fairy godmother for me since the day I met her – dozen of thank you letters would not be enough to express how grateful I am for the support she has shown me; Professor Pyka’s classes have always been the most intellectually stimulating ones during which I have grown the most as a scholar; my first advisor Professor Peat, Professor Mac Kenzie, Professor Saveau, Professor Hoey, Professor Wiedmer, and Professor Fassl had a big influence on how I see the world; Russell��(from the Office of Student Life) was always the fatherly voice of reason when counseling me regarding my drama and film clubs; Ebonie not only helped me materialize my career goals but always provided a safe space for me to express my thoughts and feelings; the Registrar’s office, the IT guys; and everyone everyone everyone!!��

Every single professor whose classes I’ve taken and even the ones whom I knew from afar have always supported me – just like every single staff member, and the warmth and the love I’ve felt at Franklin from literally everyone has been one of the biggest motivating factors on my journey. Regarding the graduate university admission, however, I’d like to single out one person – Petra Orent. She has not only one of the biggest reasons I had chosen Franklin 4 years ago, but she has played a big role in my graduate college application process. When I decided what I want my post-Franklin life to be like, I went to Petra, gave her my vision, my goals and dreams, and she guided through the whole admissions process! I owe so much to her!!

How did living and studying in Switzerland influence your academic and personal development? Were there any unique opportunities or challenges that you encountered?��

Switzerland is beautiful by itself but Lugano is its crown jewel! Living and studying here, I had incredible locations for film shootings within walking distance from our campus. I have written most of my scripts based on those available locations! Of course, cinematography requires a lot of skills and knowledge but you know you’ve hit the jackpot when nature does half of your work!!

Could you share any specific research, projects, or internships you undertook at Franklin that have had a significant impact on your academic and professional goals?

Out of the projects, I’d like to share my thesis project, "Bittersweet", which I made under the direction of Professor Ferrari and with Professor Roy as my second reader. It’s a compilation of three film adaptations of Armenian-American writer William Saroyan's short stories: "��DZ���"��(adapted from "A Cold Day"), "And Woman" (adapted from "And Man"), and "So It Ends"��(adapted from "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze"). The second part of this project was a critical reflection on the project.

Out of research, I’d like to highlight a paper called "Yuri Norstein's "Tale Of Tales" As Subversive Propaganda", which I’ve written for Professor Pyka’s HIS 345W: Propaganda: A Modern History course. I’m really thankful for how many hours Professor Pyka has spent working with me on this paper, as this was also one of the components that has helped me get into grad school!!

What advice would you give to prospective students considering ����ӰԺ and how it can contribute to their long-term success?

Be passionate!! No matter what your major is, make sure to enjoy your learning experience! You will have time to fulfill your major and core requirements sooner or later but if you see a class popping up in the catalogue that you really want to take – take it! Even if it has nothing to do with your major because ultimately you’ll find a way to put that knowledge to use, everything is interconnected – that is the beauty of liberal arts education!! Also, make sure to join some clubs you’re passionate about or create your own! Get inspired and share that with the others!

Looking ahead, how do you envision leveraging the skills and knowledge gained at Franklin to make a positive impact in your chosen field or industry?

Having studied Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, I am sure I will be able to apply that knowledge to filmmaking. My understanding of the world and of myself has changed immensely over the past four years that I’ve been at Franklin, and that is the source of everything for every professional in the creative fields.