Savannah Frank
If a 28-hour watch is ever invented, Savannah Frank may be first in line to buy it. The Texas A&M University sophomore and Corps of Cadet member needs it.
Somehow, Savannah—as she is known to an increasingly large circle with the Texas A&M family but is known to her corps buddies simply as Frank—manages to pack into her day a full course load, a rigorous corps schedule and almost daily rehearsals for the Women’s Chorus. When the alarm rings every morning, the Hawaiian-born member of Company P-2 hits the ground running and is always ready to take on more.
“It is all about time management,” Savannah says with wisdom that belies her age. “It’s just like running. The more you do, the more you wanna do,” she adds with a smile.
A Passion For Singing
Savannah caught the attention of many with her sensational singing, with top university and Texas A&M System administrators now among her biggest fans. They became Savannah enthusiasts when she sang “Something To Talk About” and “At Last” at a meeting that included a host of military veterans.
“Savannah is a very focused, motivated young woman,” said Col Jake Betty, chief of staff with the Office of the Commandant. “From the example she has shown through her dedication to her studies, her fulfillment of her duties as a cadet and her ability to entertain others through her singing talent, I have no doubt she will be successful in all her endeavors. She is an asset to the corps and the university.”
Savannah says she would have auditioned for the popular show “American Idol” had she not been six months too young when the cast visited the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
“Singing is my passion,” she says.
She and her guitarist friend, Melissa recently performed their own composition—“That Dusty Road”—for a group of wounded soldiers after the Texas A&M-Army football game earlier this fall. For Savannah, bringing a smile to the soldiers was the most important thing.
This year, she joined the Texas A&M Women’s Chorus and says she “loves the way you blend and become one with all the other voices.”
A Talented Young Woman
But singing is just one facet of this talented young lady’s life. When it comes to career aspirations, she wants to follow in her father’s military footsteps. Her father was a trombone player in the Navy Band. She wants to keep alive the family’s naval ties but plans to become an officer in the Marine Corps. “I want to make my dad proud,” she says.
Savannah, who attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, ended up joining the Corps of Cadets last year and now believes nothing can prepare her better for a military career in the Marines. She recognizes that it is not the easiest of tasks for a female cadet to prove her mettle in the male-dominated corps, but this has only made her work harder to prove that she can excel.
All the hard work notwithstanding, Savannah says she’d rather be a part of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University than any other institution. “The camaraderie that I have established with my fellow cadets here is amazing. This feels like home,” she stresses.
“I decided that I wanted to come to Texas A&M University because I knew it would not only give me the best preparation possible to be an officer in the Marines, but also allow me to enjoy a somewhat normal college-student life in a surrounding civilian atmosphere,” she adds.
Recalling a particularly memorable event, Savannah talks about how she was a part of the Fish Drill Team that won the annual drill competition at Tulane last year. “It is a national event, and FDT was the only all-freshman team,” she says proudly.
“She is a sweet, wonderful young lady with a great talent and has the confidence to share it with others,” says Linda Hawes, senior office associate in the Office of the Commandant.
This semester, Savannah is hoping to obtain a 4.0 grade point ratio and transfer into May’s Business School, all in addition to her singing rehearsals, Corps of Cadets and Phi Eta Sigma activities—and mentoring a freshman cadet for the O.R. Simpson Honor Society.
