Mari Franklin College Blog - MARI FRANKLIN LAW

MARI FRANKLIN LAW

Is your student and artist? Scholarships are Available.

9/13/2019

Several students with whom I am currently working are artists. Musicians, dancers, photographers, 3D creators, all who are talented and planning to continue to pursue their art throughout their lives. I encourage all students to attend a college where they can continue to explore their expressive potential, either through extracurriculars, electives, minors or even majors. We don't know exactly how they will end up fitting their art into their college lives, but I insist that they attend a college that has the capacity to develop their interests, in whatever manner turns out to the the right choice.

I am researching scholarship opportunities for artists and have come upon an interesting list of scholarships for their consideration. I share this website with you (https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/art/art-scholarships), in case you are interested in developing your expressive voice and interested in picking up a few hundred or several thousand dollars in funding for your education or your artistic projects. It takes a little patience to work through the list for scholarships relevant to you. Much of the work I am doing now is setting calendar events to check for the start of the next application. These are services that I can provide for high school and college students, but I also recognize that many students and their family will have the time and energy to work through these opportunities on their own. I wish you the best in discovering, earning, and winning funds to help support your educational journey.

Yes! You Can Find Dogs at College!

2/21/2019

Are you attached to your dog? Think that the scariest part of moving away is not having contact with a furry friend? You are not alone.

Knox College offers regular "pet therapy" sessions with their resident therapy dog, Olive Yu (I love you, too). At Knox, you can schedule 15 minute sessions to hang with Olive and help satisfy your "puppy time" needs.

This is a real movement on college campuses. Deaf Dogs Rock reports therapy dogs on campus at Yale Law, UCONN, Occidental College, Fordham University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Tufts University, UC Riverside, Caldwell College, Oberlin College, and Mercy College. Oklahoma State and Kent State programs are featured on NBC News' report entitled "Campus Therapy Dogs Offer a Helping Paw to Stressed Students." Forbes features Caldwell College in their article declaring "Pet Therapy is a Nearly Cost-Free Anxiety Reducer On College Campuses."

If you love spending time with dogs, check out whether your college offers pet therapy. Some colleges set it up as a campus even that welcomes walk-ins, other set up regularly-scheduled pet gatherings, while other set it up as a appointment through health or counseling services. If your college does not offer it, ask if you can set it up. Most colleges encourage students to set up clubs that meet their needs, and you can work with your campus to figure out a way to set it up, perhaps by contacting therapy dog certification programs to find volunteer dogs and their handlers.

I love using my dogs as part of my practice. Students relax and tell me more when they are half-talking to my dogs, which lets us really explore the things that interest each student in a really safe environment. I hope you find your way to the level of "doggy exposure" that is right for you at college.

Even a Bad Visit Can Be Good

1/22/2019

Yesterday, my daughter and I went to Loyola University of Chicago to check it out. I had signed up for a two hour tour, trying to make good use of the Martin Luther King holiday. Too bad that I did not read carefully... it turns out that I booked the tour for Tuesday. The University was closed, it was cold, snowy, and buildings were locked.

Well, we were there, and the beautiful facility for the Institute of Environmental Sustainability was right in front of us, so we went to take a closer look. One of the math professors welcomed us in, apologized for the admissions office not being open, and we got to see where future environmentalists learn their craft at Loyola.

Loyola takes sustainability seriously, and their program permeates the entire University. The building is designed not only for research, but to be a model of sustainable practices in an institutional facility. Loyola incorporates sustainability throughout the curriculum, invites all community members to find their niche in sustainability practices, and sees their mission as an issue of social justice. Their mission resonates with my high school junior, who sees the great urgency of slowing down, stopping, and reversing the harm that human presence imposes on our planet.

Loyola’s Sustainability MissionSustainability at Loyola is driven by our Jesuit tradition of social justice, our service to humanity, and our role as an institution of higher education. It is embodied in an educational experience for our students and activities that seek to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We are committed to an inclusive process considering social, economic and environmental impacts and exemplified in a transformative education for our students.

This was a successful visit. My daughter reviewed materials from the website about campus dorms, the art studios, and the environmental studies program. She experienced first hand the university's commitment to the mission, evidenced in the amazing facility that we were able to enter. We experienced the friendliness of the faculty, students, and staff whom we briefly encountered as they scurried in and out of the buildings. We saw the beautiful setting on the lakefront, and saw the Red Line CTA train rumble by. She can see herself living on the campus and learning in this community.

We will go back for an official tour, and to meet people in the various academic departments. But we are glad that we went, and saw, and admired the great things that Loyola offers to future environmentalists.

Big College Experience at Small Liberal Arts College

12/8/2018

Knox College promotes itself as someplace that offers students "the power of experience." That commitment to student experiences is evident everywhere you go on campus, and especially through the efforts of Nick Gidmark, who brought a 55 foot whale to campus.

The opportunity: The core building of the Umbeck Science and Math Center is undergoing major multi-year renovation that began this school year. This renovation includes a two-story 75 foot long space. Through his summer teaching at Shoals Marine Lab in Maine, Dr. Gidmark was aware of the skeleton of a 55 foot fin whale skeleton sitting outside at the Seacoast Science Center because there was no space large enough for it to be inside. Once Dr. Gidmark explained the great potential the whale had to educate at Knox, the Center agreed to send the whale to Knox.

The Power of Experience: Knox is nationally-ranked, small liberal arts college with a strong sense of community and a frugal midwestern work ethic. The Umbeck core will be under renovation until 2020. There is a lot of work to do to prepare the whale skeleton for display. How better to get that done than by creating a hands-on learning experience for the students that will result in a lasting legacy at the science center?

Starting in the Fall of 2018, faculty and students have dug in. Biology students are studying anatomy of the fin whale, cleaning and preparing the bones for display, and creating 3D models to inform creation of missing bones. Art Professor Andrea Ferrigno is researching cleaning and preservation techniques appropriate to the project, as well as techniques for constructing the missing bones. Theatre Professor Craig Choma is researching lighting techniques that will best display the specimen when it is ready for installation. Throughout this project Knox College students will have the opportunity for meaningful hands-on contributions toward displaying this amazing specimen on campus.

Once the whale is on display with the completion of the Umbeck core in 2020, it will take its place with the other smaller specimens already resident on campus for students to study. I am looking forward to visiting the whale and admiring the contributions of students from all over campus that will contribute to making the whale right at home in this small liberal arts college in the small midwestern city of Galesburg. Students who are interested in doing some hands-on work with this amazing project should take a careful look at Knox College for their collegiate experience. This is a place with a can-do attitude, that respects the variety of talents that each student brings to the table, and can provide the academic training that give students the skills to do great things later in life.

How much do colleges charge?

6/18/2018

$40K-$60K is pretty much what colleges end up charging as their "sticker price." Tuition is only part of the equation.

Federal law controls the minimum stuff that has to be calculated in the cost of attendance. The law is at https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1087ll. It basically includes:

tuition and fees, including required costs for all students in the same field of study
allowance for books, supplies, transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses, including a reasonable allowance for documented rental or purchase of a personal computer
allowance for room and board costs
costs associated with study abroad programs
costs associated with work experience gained under a cooperative education program
costs associated with student loans
costs associated with any licensure (for example CPA if he decides to go that route)
costs related the dependent care
costs associated with disability related services

The information regarding all of these costs should be available on each college's web page.

"Net price" can be very different from sticker prices. The Federal government gives us citizens (and the general public) a good look at the net price through two websites: the College Scorecard and and the College Navigator sites. Both web sites pull from the same data source, so you don't have to search both.

But remember that the devil is often in the details. Some colleges have very similar net price for all students, while others have significantly different net price based on the student's family income. You can find a general idea of your net price by drilling down on the detail under costs, where both sites show the average cost by family income.

If you would like to see your likely net costs for a particular college, you can go to the college's website and search for the "net price calculator." The page will ask for a few specifics about your family finances, and the college will return a net price, either online or in the mail. This is a great exercise to understand where you will start out financially. Then with a terrific application, you may be able to "beat" the net price by earning scholarships that drive down your personal cost to attend that college.

As always, feel free to contact me if you believe my services can help your student navigate this exciting time of life.

Calling all Chicago Area Student Musicians

1/25/2018

CYSO

Since 1946, the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra has developed young musicians through weekly rehearsals, private & group lessons, and challenging performance opportunities. Over 600 musicians aged 6-18 participate in multiple orchestras and ensembles, with alumni not only serving in top orchestras world wide, but also pursing careers as "teachers, community leaders, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and business professionals." As the mother of a former CYSO participant, I highly recommend anyone who loves music to consider participating in a CYSO program.

Auditions for the 2018-2019 Orchestra Season

Auditions for new members are starting soon, and anyone interested to trying out should sign up for an opportunity now. Before signing up, review the handbook and other information posted, so that you understand the kind of commitment you are making in time and energy. CYSO is an organization that respects each student musician, develops capabilities that surprise parents and students, and demonstrates the beauty of artistry through teamwork.

March On! College Marching & Pep Bands in Illinois

1/14/2018

Is marching band your passion? I have a friend who marches in the Barrington High School marching band; in fact, she is just back from an epic trip where the marching band performed in the London New Year's parade. It's a special situation, when you attend a school that is able to field dozens of musicans for the marching band, as well as musicians for three string orchestras, a wind orchestra, several jazz combos, a jazz band, a madrigal choir, and multiple large and small choirs. There's probably more, but you get the picture.

So many things are wonderful about marching band. You make great friends, get some serious exercise, play cool music, wear snazzy uniforms. In any event, my friend's passions got me thinking about marching bands in college.

I firmly believe that if you love doing something regularly, you should make sure that you have a way to continue that something while in college. The size, quality, and frequency is up to you, but it is good to go in with your eyes open. To that end, I started looking at college marching bands in Illinois.

YouTube is a terrific resource for determining what a college's marching (or pep) band is like. In addition to the big marching bands with enough musicians and dancers to fill the football field, there are an assortment of other configurations that vary in size, as well as in musical and choreographic challenge. Some of us just need a bunch of musicians to play with; others need performance time; others need to be musically and physically challenged to be part of a spectacle. Many of us can be happy in a number of different environments.

Whatever your preference, if you love marching band, part of your research into a potential college should include your options for continuing being part of a marching band. I've started putting together some relevant research. This first video play list simply looks into colleges in Illinois that have some form of marching or pep band with a reasonable sample on YouTube. As you can see, there is great variety in your options. All the students look like they are having a great time. And that is the key: there is a great time to be had at any college. Knowing the kind of great time offered at a specific college will improve the strength of your application, and will help you figure out how you will plug yourself into an activity you love, as soon as you get on campus.

The Eulogy: Another Form of a Personal Statement

12/12/2017

Last week, my beautiful mother-in-law, Edite Zirnitis Franklin, passed away to close a long and loving life. As we prepared for yesterday's service, I listened to my family remember Edite, I re-experienced all the love and patience that she had shared with me since I first met her in 1986. I gathered our remembrances into a family eulogy for the funeral. As I distributed copies to the family members who read it aloud, it occurred to me that the eulogy is basically a personal statement that helps us remember who she is, learn something that we didn't know about her, and realize that we all would have loved to know her better. In honor of Edite, I share our eulogy with you here.

IN CELEBRATION OF EDITE ZIRNITIS FRANKLIN
7/13/1935 - 12/6/2017

Today we celebrate the life of sister Edite Zirnitis Franklin, Bob’s loving wife of 55 years, mother of Lukass, Anna, and Baiba; grandmother of Sarma, Edmund, Tija, Martin, Robby, and Laila; sister of Silvija; daughter of Emils and Elfride; and beloved child of God.

Edite was born in Riga, during the first period of Latvian independence after the first world war. When Edite was 9 years old, her family fled the Russian occupation at the close of the second world war, with only the possessions that they could physically carry onto the evacuation vessel headed to Germany. They traveled across the country, mostly by train and reliant on food brought to them by kind strangers at various train stops along the way.

They finally settled in the Valka Camp, where her parents worked to gain skills needed for sponsorship into a new home country. Edite and her sister attended school and participated in the very active cultural life. Somewhere along the way, she participated in ballet lessons, and learned to sing classical and operatic music. She also worked hard to learn English, as her family hoped to make their new home in America.

Five years later, the Zirnitis family was sponsored by a Lutheran resettlement agency in Grand Rapids, where they joined many families from the Valka camp in establishing churches, schools and cultural centers to remember their Latvian language and heritage. Edite sang in the church choir. She also quickly learned the difference between school English and real English: Americans did not speak anything like the way she learned to speak in school and her Latvian accent was difficult for Americans to understand.

But she was able to attend school, and she worked hard to succeed. Every night she would translate her lessons into Latvian, learn the information, then translate her work back into English. Latvians believed in the power of education to makes things “right,” and Edite worked at least twice as hard as her classmates to graduate high school with high honors.    She went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, and earned admittance to a PhD program at the University of California at Berkeley.

Edite’s mother Elfride became ill before Edite could leave for California, and Edite chose to stay home to care for her mother. Her mother and father both passed away in close succession, before either reached their 60th birthday. Her faith in God and the support of her Latvian community were critical during this dark time.

In 1962, the brilliant, beautiful, and talented Edite shockingly chose to marry the very dashing and very American Bob Franklin. Bob was in love, and promised to always be there for Edite. This included upholding Edite’s connection and commitment to the American Latvian community through his second promise: to always speak in Latvian to their children (nevermind that he spoke not a lick of Latvian at the time). Thusly, Bob became Edite’s Roberts (because Bob is difficult to decline according to Latvian grammar rules) and the two became one.

Lukass, Anna, and Baiba were Edite’s joy, and she dedicated her life to them. While the children played with their blocks or their Barbies, she read to them in Latvian -- stories for children as well as great works of literature -- helping the children develop with Latvian as their first language. The children all learned to read in Latvian very early in life, leaving English language learning for their first days of American school.

Edite was a devoted teacher and scholar of grammar and literature of both Spanish and Latvian. She taught Spanish at the collegiate level at University of Michigan, Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, and St. Francis College in Joliet; and also taught at the high school level at the girls Catholic school in Joliet and at Corydon High School. Edite taught Latvian grammar at Krisjana Barona Latvian School in Chicago and at Garezers Latvian Summer High School in Three Rivers for 11 and 16 years, respectively. She was a strict teacher who encouraged each student to master the very difficult Latvian grammar, and spent hours finding ways to help her students succeed. Even the other instructors relied on Edite for authoritative answers on Latvian grammar.

Edite and Robert were a strong team, not only in raising their children, but even in matters of home building. Did you know that Edite was actually up on the roof of the Joliet house, working at Robert’s side to put on a new roof? And in Corydon, she was Robert’s wiring partner, helping build that home from scratch.

Wherever they lived, they set deep roots into the local Latvian community. In Corydon, Edite lead the Louisville Literary Club, a small but dedicated group who met monthly to discuss books and to enjoy one another’s company. When Latvia gained independence in 1991, Edite and Robert travelled together, renewing ties with distant cousins and establishing ties to the Lutheran Church in Latvia. As Robert focused his later career on serving Latvian Lutherans, she translated Robert’s prayers and sermons into grammatically correct Latvian, which he delivered in Saginaw, at Garezers, and other places.

However, despite her love for Latvia, Edite’s first love is for family. She turned down opportunities to relocate to Latvia, because she would not give up regular physical contact with her children, and with their growing families. She has six grandchildren: three boys and three girls, who love her and miss her. Let’s have them tell us what they think of when they remember her.

The Grandchildren Speak:

What do we think of when we think of our vecmamina? Mountains of bacon and eggs… quantities that approach scary; Flavorless rice with chicken; Yelling at Robert in Latvian, correcting his grammar for the gazillionth time; Yelling at Robert in Spanish, thinking that the kids wouldn’t understand; Sucking on lemons, chewing Polar ICE flavored gum, and gummie candies; Soft hands and warm hugs; Lots and lots of house plants; An adult who we never saw drive… but have heard hilarious stories of her driving exploits after she did earn a driver’s license at the age of 50; Really beautiful handwriting; Instant coffee and french vanilla flavored creamer; Recording herself reading Latvian books for the grandchildren to listen to; Lots and lots of stickers on all mailed correspondence... Something that began as a way to catch the communists when they intercepted letters to her Latvian relatives, turned into a habit of plastering letters to the grandchildren with stickers of puppies, kittens, and flowers; Joyfully singing in church, moving at her own slower tempo than the congregation, using the Latvian verses even at our American church… and singing with such vigor and authority that the Barrington Presbyterians were concerned that they were singing out of the wrong hymnal; A complete and utter inability to use a phone... Robert was her switchboard operator; Always right when she asserted herself... In a good way; Clear and persistent... It seemed like she would say AR LABU NAKTI at least five times to make sure that we knew she was wishing us a good night; Our Latvian birthday songs: once in English, once in Latvian. We sing it for Edite today, because it teaches us how to live.

Daudz baltu dieniņu Laimiņa dodi,
Diženi, raženi dzīvojoti!
Diženi, raženi dzīvojoti!
Daudz baltu dieniņu Laimiņa, dodi,
Diženi, raženi strādājoti!
Diženi, raženi strādājoti!
Daudz baltu dieniņu Laimiņa, dodi,
Diženi, raženi mīlējoti!
Diženi, raženi mīlējoti!
END EULOGY_

PRAYERS FOR THE REST OF US

Psalm 23: Edite’s Favorite
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3     he restores my soul. He leads me in right pathsfor his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I fear no evil; for you are with me;    your rod and your staff--    they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me   all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Jeremiah 31:13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Isaiah 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

Photos from Edite's Life

Your Major and Your Future

11/5/2017

This Young Man Can Snap

9/3/2017

Olson developed his skills in high school, under Coach Peterson at Orange Lutheran High School. Having lost one eye as an infant and the second at age 12 to retinoblastoma, Olson learned to live without sight, and became passionate about playing football in high school. He works with his teammates to know when and where to snap, and is so consistently good that he attends USC on an athletic scholarship for students with physical disabilities.

May Olson be a more regular presence on the field during his Junior and Senior years. He is a living example of abilities that defy the stereotypical physical expectations. His high school coaches and teammates embraced including him on their team, and Olson served as their regular long snapper. It opened the opportunity to play for USC, to receive an athletic scholarship, and to teach us how much ability and hard work can accomplish in an inclusive world.