Jordan Ricker
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia
Studied: History and Communication & Media Studies (Bachelor's degree); International Management (Master's degree). Part of Franklin's 3+1 program.
Where to? An internship with Tastemakers Africa
"At Franklin, I learned how to see things not just from one perspective, but from multiple (and sometimes contradictory) perspectives, all of which are important in providing a more holistic view of a situation. This has helped me tremendously in my development both personally and professionally, as I was able to apply both my classroom and out-of-classroom learnings when I worked in Ghana and South Africa for a travel start-up and needed to successfully work with various different stakeholders with varying racial, socio-economic, linguistic, national, and ethnic backgrounds.
Regarding my educational pathway after Franklin, I first completed a bilingual French/English MA in Contemporary European History at the University of Luxembourg, and I am now pursuing an MA in Comparative History at Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, Austria.
The rigorous academics and the multicultural setting at Franklin allowed me to hit the ground running with these MA programs, as the University of Luxembourg is a tri-lingual university with approximately half of its students being international while CEU has more than 70% of its students coming from outside the EU. Additionally, CEU's demanding academic environment feels encouraging rather than intimidating due primarily to my experience at Franklin of professors focusing on the individual intellectual development of students.
As such, it was a very natural transition from Franklin to these other international universities for me. The skills I gained at Franklin, especially intercultural awareness, academic rigor, and an open mind, have been incredibly useful assets in both my professional and academic journeys as well as in my own personal development. I wouldn't trade my experience at Franklin for anything."