F&M Stories

Home / Commencement / Commencement Archive / Commencement 2017 / Franklin & Marshall – Senior Spotlight: Keeping to the Beat of His Passion

Senior Spotlight: Keeping to the Beat of His Passion

As they prepare for their May 13 Commencement Ceremony, Franklin & Marshall seniors look back at their four years on campus—and what's next.

Name: Zachary Ezickson

Major: Music, with a film studies minor

Hometown: I moved to London when I was 12 and graduated high school there, but now my family lives in Washington, D.C.

Activities at F&M: Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Music Honor Society, Catastrophic Relief Alliance, Jazz Big Band

What has been your most memorable moment or time here at F&M? I'll always remember playing with my band, Culture Blue, at the 2017 Spring Arts Weekend. I play trumpet and piano and plan to continue with the band after I graduate, so playing our last show at Franklin & Marshall was particularly special. That day also showed me how F&M's smaller and more intimate community can affect my life outside the classroom. We were able to advertise our performance around campus and had a great turnout, selling all of our Culture Blue T-shirts!

What did you enjoy most about your time at the College? F&M gave me many incredible opportunities. Most notably, during the summer after my junior year, I was given a grant from the Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development to live in New York City and intern at an interactive audio production startup. I was able to live and work in New York for three months, and made connections that could potentially land me a job after graduation.

What are your plans for after graduation? During my sophomore year at F&M, I met Hannibal Robinson, a junior at the time, and we formed the band Culture Blue. After I graduate, Hannibal and I plan on moving to Brooklyn, N.Y., to begin a long, but exciting journey with our band! Even though this isn't necessarily the normal path for a Franklin & Marshall graduate, I'm happy to say that being a student here has given me the confidence and motivation to follow something that I've wanted to do for my entire life.

Related Articles

September 18, 2026

Lessons in Leadership: Entrepreneur Lynn Greenberg ’14

Lynn Greenberg ’14, founder and CEO of Pivt Enterprise, recently returned to F&M to share wisdom and kick off a lecture series at F&M presented by The Mehlman Leadership & Performance Institute. “F&M is the perfect place to lead you into entrepreneurship,” she said.

September 14, 2026

‘Language Studies Will Change Your Life’: Lily Andrey ’27 on Discovering a New Voice Abroad

Lily Andrey ’27 had always defined herself through words. When she spent a semester studying abroad in Spain, she found herself navigating a new linguistic world while gaining a brand-new appreciation for dialogue. “I fell in love with language in a different way,” Andrey said. “Language studies will change your life.”

September 10, 2026

‘I Wanted to Learn More”: From a Campus Connection to Career Opportunity

For Gonzalo Gentou Arbizu ’26, a brief introduction to a fellow Franklin & Marshall College Diplomat grew into months of conversations about travel, career possibilities, and life after college. Now it has led to his first full-time job.