Meet English Major Abigail Franke ’22

Hometown: Karnes City, Texas

Major and minors: English Major, Creative Writing & Theatre Minors

Highlights of your time at Wake: One of the most amazing things about my time at Wake comes in two parts. The first is when I took a chance and decided to go study the literature of the witch in London with Dr. Hogan and Dr. Ruocco. On top of tromping up the sides of hills in Cornwall, watching amazing theatre, and seeing Canterbury Cathedral, I also made some of my closest friendships. One of those friendships led to the second part, when I along with that friend created an independent study with Dr. Ruocco about writing romance novels. For that semester I had a three-person creative community that influenced me immensely and taught me an incredible amount about my writing and about myself. 

Post-grad plans: After graduation, I am off to law school to continue my education and pursue a career in either criminal or human rights law.

Why you majored in English: I have always been in love with books and stories. However, when I came to college I was a little unsure if an English major was right for me and I didn’t want to tie myself to something that might not be the correct fit. That changed once I walked into my first gateway to the major class and found immediate delight in diving into literature. It’s that same wonder and need for discovery that has kept me in the program reading, writing, and analyzing to my heart’s content for the past few years.