Graduate Speaker
We are thrilled that our own graduate, Jonathan Ransom, has been selected as the Graduate Speaker at Franklin's 169th Commencement Ceremony.
Jonathan is currently a team leader for a leading business process outsourcing organization, and is graduating with his M.S. in Information Technology. Jonathan earned his associate degree in computer science from Columbus State and a bachelor’s degree in information technology from Franklin University.
During Jonathan’s time with Franklin University, he has found a deeper understanding of himself, as well as his professional and academic capabilities. He credits Franklin with helping him to progress in his mastery of the IT concepts, communication and leadership skills necessary to help others understand the possibilities that educational perseverance can yield.
He hopes to apply his knowledge to build educational platforms in IT literacy, financial, professional and personal growth. He is a current member of Hebrew Baptist church where he is part of a team developing IT literacy classes for all ages. In a world where so many people feel hopeless, he is dedicated to providing hope and avenues for change.
Jonathan wants to thank his mother, Bernice G. Isbell; his wife, Shasta; and his family for believing in him.
Recent Faculty Publications
Drs. Bilge Karabacak and Todd Whittaker have their research paper "Zero Trust and Advanced Persistent Threats: Who Will Win the War?" accepted to be presented at the 17th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security.
Dr. Ladorian Latin published "Collecting student feedback on the use of ALEKS and Hawkes Learning in College Algebra to inform course redesign" at The National Organization for Student Success - Ohio Help Me to Help You Conference. Nov. 3, 2021.
Lead Faculty of The Year: 2021
Prof. Laurie Crawford has been a part of Franklin since 2001. During her 20 years at Franklin, she has worked in various roles, serving as an adjunct professor, as well as course design and development. As Laurie’s role has evolved at Franklin, she continues to remain steadfast in her passion for student learning.
From her days in grade school, Laurie always found problem solving to be fun! Laurie recalls her Mom saying, “You need to do something in life that you’re passionate about.” This mentality is what drove Laurie to pursue a career in computer science and engineering at a time when there were very few females who took on such a challenge. Laurie earned her bachelor’s in Computer Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University, and a master’s in Computer Science from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Laurie continued to make strides, as she went on to receive an MBA from Ashland University in Executive Management.
Student Success Stories
Hasan Abu-Rayyan
Software Engineer, iaso ai
Before making a career transition as a software engineer, Hasan started out in finance. He began as a Java developer for ETL systems and then gravitated towards development and operation work. Hasan found his true passion while working on a cloud provisioning team, designing software solutions for distributed systems. Since that opportunity, Hasan has worked closely with many product teams ensuring their software applications can remain highly available across multiple platforms and clouds.
Hasan completed his bachelor’s in computer science at Franklin, and has continued his education, pursuing a master’s in computer science. When asked about his Franklin experience, Hasan shared, “Franklin has amazing faculty with real world experience. The classes are full of hands-on exercises that really allowed me to not only understand the concepts but apply them as well.”
During his time at Franklin, Hasan has found a way to give back by founding the Franklin University Technologist Club. Hasan resides as its president, working diligently to help students connect and grow their networks, while discovering valuable skill sets to explore.
Colin Moran
Software Engineer at Axon
Like many of our Franklin students, Colin held a full-time position as a software engineer at CAS, while completing his computer science degree. Within that position, he supported CAS’ ETL system facilitating the curation of scientific information. Upon graduating from college, he went on to advance his career through his company’s Technology Talent Acceleration Program (TTAP); utilizing his computer science skills developed at Franklin, he paired this opportunity with his CAS career to springboard his growth, and in return, gained a breadth of knowledge over a two-year span of time.
The following opportunities helped Colin achieve his dreams of becoming an architect. The TTAP program afforded him the ability to experience: full-stack development, DevOps for a data mesh architecture, solutions architecture work, and cloud-based tools. After completing the program, Colin is proud to share his acceptance as a member of the enterprise architecture team, leading the area responsible for aligning its choice of machine learning and automation-type services.
Now as a master’s student in Franklin’s Computer Science program, Colin is sharpening his skills to become a highly qualified technology leader in today’s industry. If his story inspires you, take the next step and inquire more.