ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½

Skip to content
Campus & Community

From Rochester to the world: Local student shares international focus

Rochester native and first-year student Lucy Farnham is driven by her passion for languages and exploring international cultures. (ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Lucy Farnham ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™22 took her first Spanish class in seventh grade, and it was love at first syllable.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œI instantly fell in love with the language and the process of learning a language,ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� she says. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œIt made me want to experiment with others on my own.ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½�

The Rochester native ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œdabbled brieflyÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� in Chinese and German and has started learning Japanese. SheÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™ll major in Spanish and possibly add Japanese as another major at the University.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œI can only form the most basic sentences in Japanese so far, but my Spanish is much more developed,ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� she says. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œMy goal is to one day be able to say that IÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™ve achieved fluency.ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½�

Farnham was an International Baccalaureate student at Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, just two miles from the River Campus, and says the UniversityÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s strong connection to the program ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œwas a major factorÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� in her decision to apply. International Baccalaureate is a rigorous precollege educational system that emphasizes critical thinking.

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.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œIt means a lot that they care about that program here,ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� Farnham says. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œI really value everything the International Baccalaureate program has taught me, not just academically but about myself and how I apply myself.ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½�

She also loved the freedom of the Rochester Curriculum.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œEvery 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 donÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™t want to waste my time or distract me with classes that arenÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™t important to me.ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½�

The UniversityÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s diverse student body was another lure. The Class of 2022 includes students from 76 nations.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œThe international makeup of the school is really important to me, because my high school was also very diverse, and that taught me a lot,ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� she says. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œAs humans we tend to fear what we donÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™t understand. The world would be a better place if we all had exposure to different cultures.ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½�

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 and perhaps .

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œI really want to volunteer somewhere,ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� she says.

SheÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™ll be the first member of her family to graduate from college.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œIt means a lot, not just to myself but to my parents,ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� she says. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œTheyÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™re a big part of the reason IÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™m here. TheyÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™ve supported me so much.ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½�

Farnham is considering a career in the US Foreign Service, perhaps as a diplomat.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œI havenÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™t thought about it too much, but it sounds interesting,ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½� she says. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½œIÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™ll wait and see where my years at Rochester take me.ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½�