May graduate tells story of success, giving thanks to professors who found talent behind indecision It all started with one computer course that was enough to awaken one undecided major to her fate. "I was pretty clueless," said May 1996 graduate Ginger Franklin of her first semester. "I knew I liked math, and I wanted to use my problem-solving skills in practical ways," Franklin said, paraphrasing her conversation with Dr. Dean Priest, her math professor that year. But, this self-described "clueless" freshman from Colorado would blossom by her senior year to become Arkansas' Outstanding Computer Science Student, as chosen by the Arkansas Society for Computer and Information Technology (ASCIT). The award came after Franklin's diligence and 3.99 GPA rendered her worthy of nomination. "She was wellrounded, too," Baird said of Franklin, a fact that might have been the root of her frustration in immediately finding a major. But Franklin was finally convinced ofher desire to major in computer science, and her teachers greatly encouraged her. Whenever Franklin had doubts about what she wanted to do with her life, her teachers were there to help and direct. She recalled a class in which a concerned teacher freed her from a specifically-assigned paper topic to allow her instead to write a paper exploring job opportunites in her field. "All ofmy professors opened so many doors for me," Franklin said, noting that they were instrumental in getting her a job in the Academic Computer Center while she was in school. This part-time work as a programmer helped her when she went flipping through a Colorado newspaper for her first full-time computing job, according to Franklin. As for her job in Denver - "I really like it," she said. The skills that initially drew her into Dr. · Priest's office four years ago are skills she uses on the job every day: "I'm always problemDr. WilliamRyan conducts his math class. Ryan teaches engineering in the Physical Science Department as well. Photo by Aaron Gillihan. solving, always learning, always talking to people and interacting." At Smallworld Systems, Franklin receives and answers questions sent to her office by customers who own Smallworld software. "People call or e-mail problems and we figure out how to solve or repair them," Franklin said. To add to her love for the work, Franklin recently spent a week in England learning to use some new software. "I didn't even think about it when I got thejob," she said, laughing, "but it's headquartered in Cambridge!" So, when the company designs new software, its trouble-shooting employees travel to England for training; Franklin said she hoped to get another trip within the month. Now, Franklin's indecision is conquered and her future is wide open, to the delight of teachers who helped get her there. "We're very proud of Ginger," Baird said. - Judie O'Farrell Math/ Computer Science 165
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