Lucy Farnham \u201922 took her first Spanish class in seventh grade, and it was love at first syllable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI instantly fell in love with the language and the process of learning a language,\u201d she says. \u201cIt made me want to experiment with others on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rochester native \u201cdabbled briefly\u201d in Chinese and German and has started learning Japanese. She\u2019ll major in Spanish and possibly add Japanese as another major at the University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only form the most basic sentences in Japanese so far, but my Spanish is much more developed,\u201d she says. \u201cMy goal is to one day be able to say that I\u2019ve achieved fluency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farnham was an International Baccalaureate student at Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, just two miles from the River Campus, and says the University\u2019s strong connection<\/a> to the program \u201cwas a major factor\u201d in her decision to apply. International Baccalaureate is a rigorous precollege educational system that emphasizes critical thinking.<\/p>\n Rochester was the first university in the Northeast to offer scholarships to students with International Baccalaureate diplomas, and about 10 percent of the incoming class each year comes from IB schools such as Wilson Magnet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means a lot that they care about that program here,\u201d Farnham says. \u201cI really value everything the International Baccalaureate program has taught me, not just academically but about myself and how I apply myself.\u201d<\/p>\n She also loved the freedom of the Rochester Curriculum.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery other school had some sort of general education requirement, but the Rochester Curriculum told me that the University cares about what their students care about. They don\u2019t want to waste my time or distract me with classes that aren\u2019t important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n The University\u2019s diverse student body was another lure. The Class of 2022 includes students from 76 nations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe international makeup of the school is really important to me, because my high school was also very diverse, and that taught me a lot,\u201d she says. \u201cAs humans we tend to fear what we don\u2019t understand. The world would be a better place if we all had exposure to different cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n Farnham played varsity volleyball and softball in high school and says she and her friends are considering starting an intramural volleyball team at Rochester. She also plans to join the Japanese Students\u2019 Association<\/a> and perhaps Habitat for Humanity<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI really want to volunteer somewhere,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She\u2019ll be the first member of her family to graduate from college.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means a lot, not just to myself but to my parents,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019re a big part of the reason I\u2019m here. They\u2019ve supported me so much.\u201d<\/p>\n Farnham is considering a career in the US Foreign Service, perhaps as a diplomat.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t thought about it too much, but it sounds interesting,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ll wait and see where my years at Rochester take me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n