Lauren Cerkez
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| Name | |
| Chapter | Alpha Xi Radford University |
| Date Inducted | Spring 2004 |
| Roll Number | |
| Alumni Chapter/Assoc | |
| Honorary Member | |
| Major | Elementary Ed. |
| Birthdate | November 14, 1983 |
| Spouse | Peter Franza |
| Nicknames | TYPO |
| Awards | Super Pledge |
Lauren Elizabeth Franza (born November 14, 1983) is an Alumni Member of Alpha Xi at Radford University.
Early Fraternity Life
Lauren Cerkez (now Lauren Franza) rushed Phi Sigma Pi in the Spring of 2004, received a bid, and was initiated in the Fairfax building at Radford University. During Spring 2004, Lauren was given the Super Pledge Award for getting all brother interviews done and attending many PSP events.
While at Radford, Lauren joined a new organization each semester. A friend of hers, Amanda Kennedy, tried to get Lauren to rush PSP with her, but Lauren was undecided and tried to seek out many Greek organizations to see what they had to offer. After a few semesters of not finding an organization where they placed an emphasis on friends and academics, she finally found the great blend that PSP has to offer!
During her time in PSP, Lauren loved the excitement of rush each semester. Some of her favorite things about PSP were:
- Getting to know the new pledges and seeing them come in shy and open up once they felt a part of the family
- P-week!
- The Radford parades
- Giving bids out :) and screaming our chant
- Sneaking into dorm rooms to decorate for the lamplights and littles
- The bonds she made with Brittany Hawks, Pilar Wilson, Jenny Orrock, Dan Blake, Chance Margheim, Stephanie Reister, Socrates Tiglao, etc...
- The Alpha Betas :)
- Getting her first pair of letters and wearing them proudly
- Being part of a frat that let her be her nerdy self! Yay, academics :P
Bigs and Littles
Lauren's big is Amanda (Johnson) Crabb, and her little is Pilar Wilson. Amanda Johnson also took another little, making Lauren a twin to Kathryn Ward. Lauren's lamp leader is Ricky Gray, and her lamp light is Samantha Goble.
Other Interesting Facts
Enough talking about myself in the third person! My major was Elementary Education with concentrations in math and English. Even though I majored in Education, music was my passion. I was a member of the Radford Singers and any other choir that was available and traveled to Russia in Spring 2004 with the choir--SO FUN! I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 GPA in December 2005. In 2008, I married my high school and college sweetheart, Peter Franza. After teaching in elementary school for 3 years in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, I received her Masters degree in Instructional Design from Virginia Tech. I served as Education Director and Operations Manager at Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads, and great opportunities brought me to where I am now... designing curricula for educational games in VA Beach for a company called Advanced Training & Learning Technology.
When I rushed PSP, I brought along a friend, Brittany Hawks (Jeffries). This fabulous girl grew to be my best friend and partner in silliness. I think throughout our time with PSP, we were in dozens of photos where we were having a blast together. We were so excited to meet our littles, and the best part was... the four of us got along so well together. When I think back to good times at RU, these ladies come to mind :) Brittany was my Maid of Honor, and I was hers. I still keep in contact with my little and several other brothers from PSP. Taking a little in PSP was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. I've never had a sister, but now I know what it feels like to have one! Even if we go months without chatting, I hope my brothers (and sisters:) ) know that I would be there for them in a heartbeat.
I currently live in Chesapeake, VA with my husband, Peter Franza. You can contact me at laurenfranza at gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/lfranza. I seriously loved my time with PSP and would love to reconnect with brothers or even chat with some new initiates.
