A determination to face the future head-on.

How Lucia Franks challenged herself and found her place at Flinders.

Lucia Franks
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

In the first year of her Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree, Flinders student Lucia Franks has developed a fierce drive and determination that has helped her find her place at Flinders. She is now confidently pursuing her studies and is rapidly growing a strong friendship group amongst her peers.

But it wasn’t always that way. Lucia initially struggled with university study. Growing up, she moved from Adelaide to the remote community of Ceduna as a young child, then back to Gawler in Adelaide’s north as a teenager, and is now commuting two hours a day from Gawler to Flinders Bedford Park campus.

Moving from the city to a small town and back again, shifting homes and changing schools weren’t the only things that put pressure on Lucia.

“I’m part African, and growing up in a country town, there wasn't anyone that really looked like me. I was kind of an outcast. I had friends there, but I never felt like I belonged, you know. So that made me self-conscious.”

Flinders offers an inclusive culture that believes absolutely in equality and opportunity for all. We don’t just accommodate differences; we embrace and celebrate them. Our aim is to support and empower our students to be more confident and see challenges as opportunity.

In the first months of her first year, Lucia has already found common ground with many of her fellow students and lecturers, and she’s fearlessly looking forward to new experiences and new relationships.

Being different is something that many of us can relate to. In Lucia’s case, life in a small town, combined with her heritage and the twin pressures of social media and beauty norms affected her mental health and her studies.

Fortunately for Lucia, her strength and the support of the people around her have helped her to thrive since arriving at Flinders.

“I met people that told me not to listen to those things. My friends now are the ones that have made me realize that my life is fine. That the way I say certain things is fine. The way I look, and the way I dress is completely natural and completely my own thing. I didn't know who I was, personally, for a long time, and I'm still learning, I'm still young. I think the relationships I’ve made have really helped me figure that out.”

Lucia is also developing new relationships with her lecturers. Although she was hesitant at first, she’s come to realise that it’s important to ask questions. To speak up. To explore the topics and build supportive connections with her peers and lecturers. She’s learned how to take more control of her learning.