Palmer Trinity School awards King Constantine medal to Hope Franklin

Posted: 07 October 2019

This year, Palmer Trinity School awarded their King Constantine medal to Hope Franklin for her fully embracing the IDEALS of Internationalism and Service.

“Being part of a Round Square school is especially unique because it connects you to people all over the world, people you have extraordinary opportunities to meet through exchanges, conferences, or service projects,” explains Hope. “For me Round Square means an incredible opportunity to expand one’s mind and broaden your sense of the world. Before I participated in a Round Square event, I had never been outside of the United States. My first Round Square—and international exchange—was at a boarding school in England. Through this exchange, not only was I able to live in a different country and learn about its history and culture, but I was able to truly experience this first hand.” Hope also participated in the 2017 Round Square International Conference in Cape Town, helped host a Round Square global virtual conference, and chaired the Round Square Committee at Palmer Trinity.

“My travel helped to cultivate an appreciation for and a desire to learn about other cultures. In this way I believe my Round Square experiences made me more open minded, but not only about other ideas, but to the world. Because of Round Square I’ve developed a heart and passion for travel, to see new places and meet new people. In that sense, my Round Square experience has opened up my mind to learning about the world in general. Round Square has helped me become a global citizen.”

“I believe my Round Square experiences will help me to keep myself more aware of issues which not only pertain to myself, but also to people who live in other countries and places; to be more conscientious and to use my skills and strengths for the betterment of society.”

Hope has clocked-in over 500 community service hours this year alone. Hope, volunteers in the writing center, is a peer counselor working in conflict resolution, and a varsity athlete. She is the president and founder of the history club. Outside of school she volunteers twice a week at a local retirement home where she is a reader. She is involved in Breakthrough Miami, an organization for young students with academic potential in our inner city. With Breakthrough, the commitment is two Saturday’s a month during the school year and 6 weeks during the summer. Hope tutors students in history and English at school and in our community. She plays three instruments and loves to sing.

“Service means taking the best of your ability to put others before yourself and to serve them. It is extremely important that we actively and consistently engage in service living because we are not here to solely exist, we are here to make a difference and to change things. We need to not serve ourselves, but instead serve others.”

“Hope loves stories and is a true student of history,” says Danny Reynolds RS Rep at Palmer Trinity “She is a voracious reader and devours books. Academically, Hope is one of our strongest students and her footprint is well established in a plethora of areas in our community. She is well-rounded, kind, giving of herself, and is one of the most outstanding students I have taught and advised in my 26 year history at Palmer Trinity and we are delighted to honor her with the King Constantine Medal.”

Hope graduated from Palmer Trinity in May 2019 and is currently studying history at Durham University in the UK. “My belief is that eventually I’ll be able to use my degree to encourage and educate people on our past, to make it a constructive tool to improve our future. Also, while attending Durham, I hope to take advantage of the opportunity to travel. Through Round Square, my school, and the values my parents have taught me. I hope that I will continue to work toward being a change-maker in the world.”