Union College Student, 38, Reminisces On 20-year Career as a Communications Major

Spectrum Staff | March 7, 2015

38-year-old Union College student Frank Lento celebrated a major life milestone with an assortment of family friends and faculty in his residence hall lobby this morning. “Two decades ago today, I enrolled as a full-time Communications student at Union College. I have never looked back,” he said to bewildered applause.

Lento’s beaming face has featured in generations of Union yearbooks and promotional materials. Perhaps his proudest achievement is being classmates with the children of several of his contemporaries when he first stepped foot on campus as a giddy freshman in 1995. “It feels very rewarding to be part of Union’s history in such a unique way,” said Lento.

“Choosing to be a Comm major with an emphasis in PR is no joke,” said the senior who has never wavered in his dedication to the study of the field. “Company newsletters are just as challenging to write now as they were in 1995: appropriate font sizes and quality head shots don’t just happen on their own. Plus now there’s Twitter to worry about and you’ve got to make those 140 characters count.”

Asked why he thinks his journey as a Communication major has taken so long, Lento stressed not only the academic rigors of Advanced Party Planning and other core classes but also pointed to a smattering of student missionary years (all to the same beach community in Majuro, Micronesia) and two task force years (to Hawaiian Mission Academy) during which he has proudly exemplified Union’s spirit of service.

Friends emphasize that to know Lento is to know a firm believer in the perils of rushing life. “Listen, this isn’t a race, I’ve got the rest of my days to work behind a desk,” said Lento. “I’ve done multiple internships in the marketing departments of hospitals and conference offices and I gotta tell ya, it’s dog eat dog out there. I’m in no hurry to make that my life.”

Nicknamed the eternal student by many a college president and faculty advisor, Lento said that he looks forward to graduating someday, “but not before I take a few more Spanish electives and maybe Advanced Soccer to really give me the edge in the real world.”

Sevvy is a writer at the anonymously-authored humor and satire blog BarelyAdventist.com.

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