Editor’s note: As part of a series about students from small towns and rural areas, we spoke to Addie Franklin ’27 from Paducah, KY about her experience at Swarthmore and the lessons she carries with her from her upbringing. Some responses have been edited for brevity or clarity.

A person with long hair wearing a sleeveless brown top, smiling with one hand resting on their chin against a dark background. — This is a picture I took looking up Broadway street, one of the main streets in Paducah. Located downtown and traveling all the way to the riverfront, it houses many of our town’s favorite shops and restaurants.

View looking up a downtown street lined with historic buildings, parked cars, and several American flags on a cloudy day. — This is a picture I took looking up Broadway street, one of the main streets in Paducah. Located downtown and traveling all the way to the riverfront, it houses many of our town’s favorite shops and restaurants.

Hi Addie, Thanks for sharing your experiences with our prospective students. So, …

Tell me a little bit about where you are from. What is your hometown like?

I am from Paducah, Kentucky which is located right on the Ohio River in western Kentucky. My favorite aspect of town is the lovely downtown area, full of history and arts. Paducah is a UNESCO Creative City, hosts an arts festival and BBQ on the River event each year, and is Quilt City, USA. We have a lovely award-winning community theater, Market House Theater, (where I grew up acting, dancing, and making friends) surrounded by small businesses, the best coffee shops, a family bakery, and the riverfront.

Outside of the downtown area we have several parks and bike trails, small businesses, and residential areas. Paducah also serves as a hub amidst western Kentucky and is thus home to many large businesses and manufacturers as well. But of course, my personal love is the artistic aspects and community of my town.

This is the Ohio River, which is about a 15 minute drive from my house and a staple of our town. It is a common spot where friends, family, and I go to enjoy the water, have picnics, talk, walk, and ride bikes!

What was your experience of applying college? Who helped you and what resources were (or were not) available to you? Did your school have a college counselor?

I attended Paducah Tilghman High School, a public school built on tradition. My graduating class was 200 students and is the only high school in the city school district. We had one college counselor for the whole school who is absolutely incredible at her job.

Even though it is daunting to apply to academically rigorous schools far from home, my college counselor helped us navigate the process. Most students stay in Paducah or nearby Murray, at community college or small colleges. My high school does have AP classes, a lovely arts department, great athletics, and an Innovation HUB where students can take technical classes. The school building itself is old, but the administration has a student-first mentality that pays off in our education. Although it is a public school, my high school is the renowned high school in the area, and surrounding schools often bring students over for programming and classes in the Innovation HUB. My high school is the most utilized high school from the Jackson Purchase region (which includes 8 counties) of Kentucky.

This is an image of my dog and me kayaking on a river near Kentucky which my family and friends and I often go to enjoy nature and rest. Kayaking is one of my favorite things to do for a relaxing and fun day off.

How did you learn about Swarthmore?

This is actually an interesting story for me. I found out about Swarthmore when my high school college counselor informed me of the fly-in program, Discover Swarthmore. I had never heard of the school nor did I know of its academic rigor, but I thought it looked nice and the program would be interesting. I applied for Discover Swarthmore but did not get accepted. I wasn’t too let down about it since I didn’t know much about the school. I decided to keep Swarthmore on my list of schools I was considering applying to.

As it got closer to the application period, I researched Swarthmore closer and realized the student-first mindset, rigorous program, beautiful campus, and reputation as a liberal arts school. I saw that I would be able to study the various things I love at once and also explore new things, so I gave applying to Swarthmore a try.

I did not get accepted to Swarthmore and was waitlisted. Being waitlisted is hard, but again I wasn’t extremely disappointed since I knew it would be a difficult school to get into, especially since I couldn’t commit financially to an Early Decision application. However, I sent in supplemental materials and kept in touch with the school while on the waitlist. In the meantime, I committed to a college in Kentucky, attended orientation, had a roommate and a schedule. Swarthmore College called and offered me admissions after I had already graduated high school. I was actually outside at work gardening when I received the call, and remember the craziness of it all. Thankfully I received enough of a financial aid scholarship to financially commit, so I accepted the admission offer. And now, here I am!

What has it been like coming from a smaller community to Swarthmore? What unique experiences and perspectives do you think you bring to Swarthmore as a rural or small-town student?

It has been hard, I’ll admit, but I feel that it is hard moving to college from anywhere small. Or quite possibly, just anywhere!

The small campus, small community, and small town make it more comfortable for me, and the natural connection of the arboretum on campus was vital for my transition. It is still vital for my daily living on campus. Home is quieter than here, and I have more private space to enjoy nature at home. I often miss the quiet of home and especially the views.

There are also a lot of people here who are not like me. But I’ve learned that is actually a good thing. I am really valuing the experience of being here even though it is far from home. I am learning to enjoy the city life on occasion, but when I don’t want to go into the city, I don’t have to! It’s lovely to have the option of where to spend my time where I am most comfortable. I am also learning so much from the people that aren’t like me.

Ultimately, I’ve learned in my time here that it’s extremely rewarding to step out of your comfort zone. Everyone’s transition is going to be different, but honestly, we all feel some of the same things no matter where we come from. I think the most important thing is to connect with those around you and share your similarities and differences; you’ll find more commonalities than you think you will.

What areas of student life are you involved in at Swarthmore?

As a first-year at Swarthmore, I have spent the majority of my time here acclimating to the social environment and the difference in rigor from my high school. However, I have always been a very involved person so I keep myself busy here.

My primary extracurricular activity is RnM (Rhythm and Motion), a Tri-Co dance team rooted in African diasporic dance styles. I have choreographed, done lighting design, and helped lead events already in my two semesters in the group. I am also greatly involved in the dance program on campus, have participated in four student-coordinated ensembles and performances, including a senior’s final project, and have a solo in this semester’s spring concert! Outside of dance, I work at Underhill Music and Dance Library, participate in C4, attend Swarthmore United Methodist Church, and often spend time in the Crum Woods or with friends. I am currently working with a fellow student to start up a new club for students from small town, rural, and remote places that we would love for you to join, and I will serve as a GA (Green Advisor) next school year. (If you are a new student in the fall ’24, I’ll see you at orientation!)

This is the view outside looking over where my dance studio used to be downtown. It was in the pink building “Finkels,” which is a historic building and used to be a shoe store. It has since been renovated on the inside to a dance studio and now a theater space, but has maintained its history on the outside. A lot of buildings in my town are like this! I also just think the sky is lovely and there are beautiful views at home.

How is Swarthmore similar to your hometown? How is Swarthmore different compared to your hometown? What’s it like going back home after being at Swarthmore?

Campus feels comfortable like home most days. I still feel my connection to nature, can see the stars often, have plenty of trees, and can go into the woods and down to the creek any time I need. I love that about the school. I also love the small town of Swarthmore and the ville. I can go on a stroll around town, visit the farmers market, go to the coffee shop or a small restaurant. I don’t feel the hustle and bustle of a big city, which I often need a break from.

Public transportation is the biggest difference for me from home! Not having my car was a difficult transition for me, but it’s kind of nice having everything so close together, and I enjoy walking where I need to go. I’m honestly still learning how public transportation works here; it’s a big obstacle to overcome, but it is very helpful and convenient for when my friends and I want to go out.

Another difference is just how close I am to everything. I didn’t have a Target closer than a hour and a half away from my home in Paducah, so having one a 10 minute walk away is crazy (and convenient). It’s very different being walking distance or just a train ride away from most everything, but it’s actually kind of fun sometimes.

Going back home is always so relaxing. Being back in the quiet of home and getting to walk around downtown and sit outside makes me feel reconnected to home and myself. While I do sit outside at school often, it’s still very nice to go home to my backyard and enjoy the outdoors.

This is a dogwood tree outside of my favorite coffee shop downtown. The dogwood trail is a huge event in my town where we all plant and light dogwoods around town and do a biking/driving/walking trail around the town looking at them in the spring.

Why do you feel it’s important that Swarthmore recruit and admit more students from rural areas and small towns? What unique strengths and perspectives do rural and small-town students bring to a small, diverse, liberal arts college setting?

It is extremely important for Swarthmore to maintain and increase its diversity by recruiting and admitting students from smaller and more rural areas. I have already found that representation of small areas can get lost or looked over in classroom discussions. It’s easy to focus on hubs of people when thinking about change and future work, but it is extremely important to not forget about small, rural areas.

I have found that most people have a conception of an extremely rural farm area, but not much concept of the level up from that, such as Paducah, where I’m from. I am constantly struggling to describe my town to others so that they can understand. This is very difficult for me as I feel like my way of living is normal because it’s where I have always been, but for some, they don’t have the privilege of running around in the grass, gardening, or playing on a tire swing when they were little. Again, it’s very interesting to compare stories and diversities, which is part of the reason it’s so important that people from small places come to Swarthmore. It’s vital that our voices are involved in academic discourse. I have found that the ideas of people from small towns and rural areas are vital to discussion and brainstorming and help open the minds of other students.

At the same time, it is extremely helpful for students from small, rural areas to find themselves at Swarthmore. The campus provides the small town feel that is comfortable to us, but provides the opportunities of a big city. It is sometimes scary to venture out, but extremely helpful and rewarding to step out of your comfort zone. We also have the opportunity here to connect with many types of people we’ve never had interactions with before, which is extremely enriching and lovely to experience.

Where do you see yourself after Swarthmore? Do you see yourself going back home? Do you see yourself going somewhere more rural, urban, or in between?

I am honestly not completely sure, I’m keeping my options very open on purpose, that way I can fully experience college and not worry about following a specific path in college that will take me to a single, specific destination. While following a specific path works for a lot of people, it’s not for me. I want to just enjoy being here and experience this new place and all of its opportunities.

I think I will go back home after college because it truly is home, plus it’s where my family is. I think I have an amazing opportunity to use the knowledge I’ve acquired here at Swarthmore to go back and make a difference in my Paducah community which means so much to me.

Talking with Addie Franklin ’27 from Paducah, KY