I’d like to tell you my story..

My name is Franchesca Yonan and I am a Legacy Alumni. As a first-year law student at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, I wake up each morning in sunny Malibu grateful for how far the Lord has brought me. When I joined the Legacy Lions as a high school freshman in 2017, I loved the community, the teachers, and the University-Model® structure, but I did not realize then how deeply God would shape my life through Legacy.

Graduating Senior Class of 2021

Looking back, Legacy was far more than classes and activities. Through roles like serving as the first president of ASB and the National Honor Society, God taught me that leadership is service. That lesson now guides the way I approach every responsibility in law school. The teachers He placed in my life pushed me toward excellence, strengthened my discipline, and helped me discover my calling. For example, Mr. Sharrer encouraged me to publish my first poem. Mrs. Hallum introduced me to the model lawyer I still hope to become through Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. And where would I be without my ten essentials from Mr. Cowan’s adventure leadership class?

More than anything, God used Legacy to teach me to trust His plan over my own. He shaped my faith, my work ethic, and my understanding of service—whether that looks like studying contracts late into the night or supporting abused women and children through advocacy work.

He continues to bless me with friends and mentors from Legacy who still check on me, pray for me, and walk with me.

Legacy wasn’t just my school; it was where God established the foundation for who I am becoming.