Losing everything was a wake-up call that she never asked for, yet it turned out to be her greatest blessing.
By Matthew Sullivan
Traveling over 3,000 miles to play field hockey at Wagner College on a near full athletic scholarship, Erin Franklin was a budding superstar.
Franklin was born and raised in a county called Derbyshire, in the East Midlands of England. In high school, she was a dominant two sport athlete with soccer and field hockey. In her mind, she was the golden child and felt untouchable.
None of that mattered anymore. An unexpected culture shock was in store as the beginning of a brand new life was upon her in January of ‘21.
“So I played two semesters: freshman starter, Conference Rookie of the Year, and All NEC Second Team as a goalkeeper in field hockey,” said Franklin. “Yet academically I was falling apart with a 1.7 GPA.”
She was riding the high of being a “student-athlete” but lost sight of the first, and most important part of the term.
She never could’ve imagined losing everything she had because she was so dominant in her sport. Even when she was warned, she scoffed at it and refused to take classes seriously.
This was the beginning of the end for her short stint at Wagner. Franklin failed off the team, thus losing her athletic scholarship and in the process her academic visa.
Her parents and the love of her life whom she met here in the states, Liana, were shocked with the news. Franklin was forced to return home with no path back to Liana.
“I didn’t wanna be there, working a job I didn’t wanna do,” Franklin powerfully stated. “If I get the chance to go back, nothing is going to stop me.”
That chance came a year later. In the Summer of ‘23, after a long and tireless application process, CSI was the only light at the end of the tunnel.
No scholarship, no athletics, just one more chance to get everything right. She would be reunited with her love and vowed to make everything right.
“First semester back I had a 4.0,” said Franklin. “It was bittersweet because it proved I can do this, yet questioned why I didn’t in the first place.”
Hitting rock bottom wasn’t ideal, but Franklin realized it was necessary to find this version of herself. Her past life, the athletic background, she insisted, taught her how to deal with adversity in the shadow of defeat.
Franklin is now finishing up with her sophomore year. She is determined to finish her college degree at CSI, earn a position in the sports industry, gain official citizenship in the states, and spend forever with Liana.
“I have something to prove to my parents, Liana, and most importantly myself,” Erin said. “Whatever legacy I left behind at Wagner is not who I am.”
