Manuel Franco, '12

"Coming from poverty, Brophy has opened so many doors for me that
otherwise would have been closed..  When you attend Brophy you have one
giant family there for you.  Also, I know I have become stronger in my
faith."

Name: Manuel U Franco

Graduation Year: 2012

Brophy Extra Curricular Activities:NHS

Where do you live in the valley? Avondale

Arizona Foothills Magazine: How difficult is Brophy? Is it really that tough?

Brophy is only as difficult as you let it become. Sure the classes are hard, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort it really becomes quite easy.

AFM: Who was your favorite teacher and what was your favorite class?

My favorite teacher was Ms. Visquesney. She was my AP Chem teacher and though her class was probably the hardest science I’ve taken at Brophy it was still fun and enjoyable to take despite the difficulty.

AFM: What is your favorite Brophy Memory:

My favorite Brophy memory has to be when I attended Kairos 111. I  would say more on this, but you’ll have to attend a Kairos as a Brophy senior or junior for me to say more.

AFM: How did you hear about Brophy and what about the school made you want to be apart of the community?

I actually heard about Brophy in the most random of ways. My school happened to have some fliers lying around and I picked one up, did some background research on Brophy, and saw how good of an education I could get. I then decided to take the placement test and the rest you could say is history.

AFM: How has the scholarship program changed your education and your life?

The scholarship program is the only way I could have ever attended Brophy. I don’t come from a lot of money, and the scholarship program is what allows me to pursue the higher education I want while simultaneously opening doors for me that would have otherwise never been opened.

AFM: If willing, please tell us a time in your life that was particularly difficult for you and how you were able to overcome it. Was the Brophy community apart of helping you get through it?

My Dad a few years back had cancer and underwent aggressive chemotherapy to treat it. As a side effect of the aggressive treatment the bones in his shoulder and hip joints started dying. This naturally created an insane amount of medical bills that pushed my family’s meager amount of money way beyond its limit. Unable to make tuition payments while simultaneously paying the mortgage and feeding ourselves I was prepared to pull myself out of Brophy for my family’s benefit. Were it not for Mr. Ryan, who outright refused to hand me my transcript that day I went to pick it up, and Ms. Renke, who called a few days later bearing good news that I would be able to attend school, I wouldn’t be graduating from Brophy this year. The Brophy community is one giant family, and they look after their own. I owe those two so much and I am eternally grateful for what they did for me and my family.
AFM: What are your goals and aspirations?

I want to become an engineer. Specifically a nuclear engineer with a Doctorate. Part of this is because I want to take part in space propulsion using nuclear reactors, and the other part because I want to use the money nuclear engineers make to help my parents pay for my three little sisters’ schooling as they grow up.

AFM: What does “Men for Others” mean to you?

To me personally. Men for Others means to be a man that is always willing to help someone in need no questions asked, and do whatever they can for them so long as they’re deserving of it. A lot of people go by in this world dealing with a lot of adversity and it’s up to a Man for Others to help those kinds of people. Much like how Brophy helped me.

AFM: What college do you want to attend and why?

I want to attend Rensselaer Polytech in Troy, New York. It offers one of the best Nuclear Engineering programs in the country, and is the oldest engineering college in the US. Just recently I visited the campus through RPI’s Star Program, which flies students from all over the country to Troy, and immediately fell in love with the campus with its combination of historic and modern buildings. Needless to say I really want to go there now after having visited it.