The Perks of a Multifaceted Student Franco Duarte´s adaptability and organization took his education to the next level
By Adriana Veizaga
Position: Staff Writer
From Lima, Peru, to Boca Raton, Fla., freshman Franco Duarte shares how excelling in athletics and academics has given him the opportunity to study at Lynn with the most prestigious scholarship for incoming international students.
Proudly Peruvian, as he describes himself, Duarte’s journey began in his hometown of Lima in an environment where sports, and mainly basketball, turned into a family lifestyle carried on generation by generation.
“Basketball has been part of my life since I was 4 years old. I grew up in a very athletic environment. My mom used to play volleyball, my dad used to play basketball as well as my uncles and sister. In the family, it was really a thing to play sports and watch basketball games,” said Duarte.
His experience as a basketball player has been constructive. Duarte not only had the chance to play for Peru’s national team, but also to improve his resilience and teamwork skills. In the same way, having an athletic life while being at school helped him to be more organized, and as a result, he had a good academic performance.
“Since I was little, complementing my sport with my studies helped me to recognize where to invest my time; I learned when to be more focused in school or when to spend more time playing. Nowadays, I can say that having this ability has helped me a lot when it comes about managing my time at college,” said Duarte.
Duarte also highlights the importance of his high school since the institution assisted him a lot combining sports and his classes. As a result, he graduated with a 3.8 GPA that later helped him build his student profile when applying to Lynn. Although his first choice was to apply as a student-athlete, he decided to try his luck applying to Lynn’s most prestigious scholarship for international students: the International Presidential Scholarship. Unsurprisingly, his student profile and background placed him at the top of the competition, and he was chosen as the 2021 International Presidential Scholarship Recipient.
“I had good references about Lynn through my cousins who also graduated from here. Then I found out that Lynn had a good basketball team so I tried to get an athletic scholarship,” said Duarte. “Due to different factors, instead of applying to an athletic scholarship, I ended up competing in the Presidential Scholarship competition. Everything happened so fast that without even knowing I received the notification that I was selected as the scholarship recipient.”
Duarte’s story is an example of passion and organization, and how the most unexpected opportunities can knock on your door.
Franco in a photoshoot for his basketball team. Photo/F. Duarte. Franco´s family gathering in Peru. Photo/F. Duarte.
Franco Duarte in his hometown of Lima, Peru. Photo/F. Duarte.
