Baker Proud Summer 2018 - 22

Defying
the Odds
L

enard, AAB '14, BBA '16, and Mona, MBA '14,
Franklin both agree that their pasts were less
than ideal.
Mona, one of nine children, was the only one
in her family to leave the Fort Thompson Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Her family struggled with alcohol
abuse and at age 14, she made the difficult decision to
move forward on her own. She found a home at Haskell
Indian Nations University, where she earned her Associate of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business
Administration degrees.
Lenard grew up in a home affected by alcohol abuse as
well. In his words, his stepfather was into "the street life"
and wasn't much of a father or motivating figure in his
life. After graduating from high school, he had a short stint
in college, where he slept on a bean bag chair and found
that being away from home didn't exactly equate to success. He dropped out of college in favor of finding work,
and school became a distant memory.

Finding Baker
Mona and Lenard knew that education was the key to
creating a better life for themselves and their children. And
in 2012, they both found Baker University, which would be
the start of an exciting educational journey together.
Mona and Lenard took the leap and returned to school,
Mona for her Master of Business Administration degree
and Lenard for his Associate of Arts in Business. The next
18 months consisted of countless nights of finishing homework side by side, and they both graduated in 2014.

But for Lenard, his pursuit wasn't over; in 2016, he
graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration
degree, and in December, he will graduate with a Master
of Arts in Organizational Leadership.
"I believe that it was all a divine plan that brought
me here to Baker: everything happening at the perfect
time, meeting all the perfect people, at the perfect place,"
Lenard said.

"I am looking forward to sharing his success
and his excitement at the ceremony in
December, as well as the rest of our lives
together." -Mona Franklin
When Lenard went back to school to finish what he
had started 25 years earlier, he took it upon himself to do
his family and himself proud. He graduated with his AAB
and BBA summa cum laude, and with a 4.0 grade point
average for both programs. Mona couldn't be more proud
of what they've achieved together.
"Lenard and I were both raised under circumstances
that were less than favorable, and we have both defied
the odds of our upbringings," Mona said. "I am looking
forward to sharing his success and his excitement at the
ceremony in December, as well as the rest of our lives
together."

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baker Proud Summer 2018