F&M Stories
Students Turn Wrenches at The Common Wheel
Franklin & Marshall students are rolling up their sleeves to refurbish bikes at The Common Wheel.
Through F&M's Ware Institute for Civic Engagement, students volunteer weekly to help the nonprofit gear up for their annual Maryann Caldwell Spring Bike Fling slated for May 15. The event provides free bikes, helmets and accessories to 150 youth in the School District of Lancaster.
Leading the helm at The Common Wheel is F&M alumna Adriana Atencio '10.
"The Common Wheel has been lucky to partner with F&M for years," she said.
Prior to Common Wheel, Atencio worked as the F&M Works program manager. In 2021, she was selected as a Baldwin Leadership fellow. This prestigious 18-month program through The Lancaster County Community Foundation works to build strong community leaders.
See what Atencio has to say about her F&M experience, and view a slideshow of current students turning wrenches at The Common Wheel.
F&M: Can you talk about your path from F&M to The Common Wheel?
Atencio: F&M prepared me to tackle just about anything, which is what I handle here at The Common Wheel. As co-executive director, I have myriad duties which draw on my F&M background. Grant writing utilizes the writing skills I gained through the hours of reading and writing in my comparative literary studies minor (Atencio majored in European studies). Then, as the former F&M Works Program Manager, I made invaluable connections through the nonprofit community here in Lancaster that I still rely on today. F&M has been essential in my development as a nonprofit leader.
“F&M has been essential in my development as a nonprofit leader.”
— Adriana Atencio '10Related Articles
June 26, 2025
Heading for the Bright Lights
As a first-year at F&M, Samantha Correa ’24 knew she liked working with cameras, writing stories and performing. Now, she is pursuing a master's degree in radio, television, and digital communication at Boston University. “F&M’s liberal arts curriculum allowed me to be part of many things during my time there,” she said.
June 20, 2025
From the Gridiron to the Computer Grid
On the football field, Isaiah Brown ’24 found routine and discipline. In the classroom, he found logic and purpose. "It wasn’t until I signed up for a computer science course that things started to click," he said. Brown is now a software engineer for Lockheed Martin.
June 18, 2025
F&M Women & Philanthropy Event Celebrates Success, Honors Charter Members
More than 80 Franklin & Marshall alumnae, parents and friends, many of them charter members of F&M Women & Philanthropy, gathered at Bloomberg Philanthropies in New York City June 4 to commemorate the initiative’s progress and to build community among the College’s women leaders.