The Logan Cache Rich Credit Union Student Spotlight Logan High School Junior Aaliyah Franco says she loves to volunteer and be involved in the community.
LOGAN — Logan High School Senior Aaliyah Franco’s natural leadership, love for volunteer work and involvement in the community has made her stand out as on of the most ambitious students LHS Counselor Makinzie Clark has worked with.
“She just is this incredible leader with this empathetic heart who wants to make the positive change in the world,” Clark said. “She actually can make it happen, so. She’s just an incredible student.”
Aaliyah is the latest student to be highlighted in the Logan Cache Rich Credit Union Student Spotlight. Franco said she looks at the circumstances in her life as fuel to keep her motivated to keep trying to make an impact not only in school but in the community. She said she is borderline obsessed with volunteering.
“Volunteering has always been my saving grace as well as like being involve,” Aaliyah said.
Aaliyah’s mom Jennifer Franco said Aaliyah hasn’t let any of the negative experiences she has gone through define her and has been a great example for her younger siblings.
“She has been working really hard,” Franco said. “Although she said she’s gone through some, you know, some things that weren’t the best when she was younger, she definitely did not let those things define her.”
The list of volunteer work, community involvement and academic achievements Aaliyah has accomplished is impressive.
Aaliyah not only was chosen to represent LHS in the Sterling Scholars in the Business and Marketing category for her outstanding presentation but is involved in multiple committees in her school as well as other volunteer opportunities in the community.
In addition of being the LHS Sterling Scholar representative in business and marketing, Aaliyah is a member of LHS Hope Squad which helps bring suicide awareness to the community and support their peers while understanding they are not therapists.
She is also a GearUp ambassador where she had the opportunity to participate in a leadership summit in Washington D.C. and as well as a Policy Project Student Ambassador in the “Period Project” which help to bring awareness to the need of feminine products in schools and helps to advocate for students using the products responsibly.
Additional organizations Aaliyah participates in include Future Business Leaders of America and helps as a peer tutor for second grade students at Wilson Elementary School.
Aaliyah has also been a stand out member of Latinos in Action even though she was hesitant to join the organization and some “dynamics” that made it difficult to be involved in the organization.
Clark said she had suggested LIA to Aaliyah when she transferred to LHS from Ridgeline High School very early freshman year because she thought she would do great in the organization.
Aaliyah said she was hesitant to join the organization because she was afraid people would think she was not Latina enough or question her ability to speak Spanish but decided to join and prove she belonged.
“As long as you’re a leader, it doesn’t matter who you hang out with,” Aaliyah said. “If you’re presenting yourself in a professional way, that’s all that matters.”
Aaliyah decided to run for a leadership position her sophomore year and was able to win two positions in leadership as VP for Profession and Service Committee. She ran to be one of the presidents her junior year and won. She is also one of few students to be reelected as president and continues to hold that position as a senior.
Clark said Aaliyah’s trajectory in LIA shows her resilience and determination.
“She looked at that situation and she thought like, ‘I want to make this better,’” Clark said. “She ran for a leadership position. She became the VP of service and then, the next year became the president as a junior and the program has really expanded.”
Aaliyah shows her love for volunteer work in school organizations as well as organizations in the community such as CAPSA as the LHS representative for CAPSA Youth Council, helping during a fundraiser for the Family Place and she has partnered with Utah Foster Care.
One of her favorite volunteer opportunities she does is participating in the “Adopt a Grandparent” project at Sunshine Terrace where she is paired with three different grandparents although volunteers are pair with only one.
One of the grandparents she was paired with didn’t speak English and the only interaction she had was the nurses using Google Translate to communicate with her. Aaliyah said she was nervous because she isn’t fluent in Spanish but says she’s glad she tried.
“She is so amazing,” Aaliyah said. “Her and I will just get to talking.”
Aaliyah hopes to go to the University of Utah to receive her Bachelor’s in Business or Marketing and continue her education to ultimately receive a masters in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor degree.
She wants to own her own business as well as being able to continue to be involved with nonprofits and have a platform to help others.
“I don’t want to mix money with good values cause I feel like that’ll get twisted” Aaliyah said. “I want to have my typical day job making a lot of money, being successful but I also want to have, like, a platform, a positive platform.”
According to Clark, Aaliyah’s drive comes from making connections in the community and finding causes to be a part of that are making the community better. She said Aaliyah draws people in with an inviting personality.
“I just think she has such a gift, of like, you know, really having the ability to kind of turn things around and make an impact,” Clark said.
Franco said she is so grateful for the LHS administration, faculty and staff for all of the support they have shown to her daughter.
“Counselors, principals, teachers, they’ve all made a very big impact in my daughter’s life and so, definitely it cannot go unnoticed,” Franco said. “I am so thankful for Logan High and the faculty there that has been able to give her these opportunities to make her shine.”