{"id":60064,"date":"2012-05-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/commencement-2012-franco-lo-presti-is-uri-graduate-model-close-friend-to-local-boy\/"},"modified":"2012-05-15T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-05-15T00:00:00","slug":"commencement-2012-franco-lo-presti-is-uri-graduate-model-close-friend-to-local-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2012\/05\/commencement-2012-franco-lo-presti-is-uri-graduate-model-close-friend-to-local-boy\/","title":{"rendered":"Commencement 2012- Franco Lo Presti is 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate, model, close friend to local boy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"press-release-import\">\n\t\tMen\u2019s soccer player befriends Charlestown boy<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Okno3ej2L5g\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 15, 2012 \u2013 If you talk with 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Franco Lo Presti he might tell you he is a soccer player, public relations major, musician, actor and  now a model.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tBut if you ask 10-year-old Will St. Germaine, of Charlestown, he will simply tell you Lo Presti is his friend. Lo Presti calls Will an inspiration, a boy with a developmental disability that prevents him from decoding words, and who learns through auditory processes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/FrancoLoPresti0003.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"296\" align=\"right\"\/>When Lo Presti earns his bachelor\u2019s degree from 溏心vlog免费B站 May 20, he will be flooded with memories of his time with his soccer mates, favorite professors, a member of the Ramettes who was largely responsible for launching his modeling career and the not-so-random encounter with Will.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tThe friendship between the 6-foot, 3-inch former captain and center fullback on the Rams\u2019 soccer team began in October 2010 when the squad ran a clinic for the Chariho Youth Soccer Club.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cI saw this little boy practicing by himself and so I went over, and we began talking and kicking the ball,\u201d said Lo Presti who hails from Toronto, Canada.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tSince they met two years ago, Will has rarely missed a Rhody men\u2019s soccer game.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\u201cWill is like a little brother to me,\u201d Lo Presti said. \u201cWhen we met, we bonded, and I just love him. He is so polite, so nice. He has taught me so much, to appreciate the good moments in life and to appreciate people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tMen\u2019s head soccer coach John O\u2019Connor said Lo Presti extends himself in so many ways.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\u201cMany college students might feel uncomfortable working with a child with a disability, but Franco puts himself out there in ways other students wouldn\u2019t,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cI envision him keeping in touch with Will through phone calls and emails.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nWill\u2019s grandmother, Carol-Ann King-Follett asked the day of the clinic two years ago whether she could take a picture of Will and Lo Presti. The following week, that same picture was autographed by Lo Presti.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/francoWill-8.jpg\" width=\"175\" height=\"293\" align=\"right\"\/>\u201cWill and I attended many soccer games at 溏心vlog免费B站, always watching Franco,\u201d said King-Follett. \u201cThrough Coach O\u2019Connor, Franco and Will began to correspond. They have become such great friends. They meet each Wednesday after Will\u2019s swimming class. They play chess, go for walks with the dog and just talk. They are such a great team and Franco is a wonderful mentor to Will. Our family has been blessed by his friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nDuring his time at the University, Lo Presti extended himself in other ways too.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\u201cHe sings and plays guitar and regularly entertained us on road trips,\u201d O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nAnd when a student he knew only casually, Vanessa Villegas, a chemistry student and member of the Ramettes, approached him about modeling, Lo Presti took her up on it.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\u201cI was walking to class one day when Vanessa stopped me on the Quad and asked me, \u2018Are you a model?\u2019  I laughed when she suggested a test shoot, but she encouraged me because she models in New York and knows the industry. So she took some shots and sent them to photographer Sean Patrick Waters. After a successful shoot with him, I had another opportunity to be photographed by Jason Michele. All three of them have been instrumental in helping me out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nSince then, Lo Presti has been heading to New York most weekends for his own photo sessions.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\u201cI have signed a contract with Click Model Management Inc. out of New York,\u201d he said. \u201cI had a recent casting with Givenchy, a French fashion designer, of France for the fashion shows in Paris in June. I haven\u2019t heard yet whether I will be modeling in France.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nCoach O\u2019Connor said modeling is a natural for Lo Presti. \u201cHis personality says \u2018Look at me, I love life and I am going to go for it.\u2019  I remember one year on the road in Richmond when the guys were badgering him to go sing to a bunch of sorority members. He went over to sing to the birthday girl and everyone had a ball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nIn the meantime, he is trying to build a career in professional soccer. So once he gets the modeling craziness settled, he\u2019ll begin serious training.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\u201cI am going to be like a soldier, training, training and training and spending time with my family,\u201d Lo Presti said. \u201cI am going to talk to my dad about all of the different things going on my life.<br \/>&#13;<br \/>\n\u201cMy goal is to play professionally in Europe, but I won\u2019t rule out playing for a team in Major League Soccer, or other professional leagues in North America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/franco-6.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"282\" align=\"right\"\/>\u201cHe has a shot at pro soccer because when he puts his mind to it, he can do it. He wants to take chances and he is not afraid to fail,\u201d O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nAs the weeks wind down in Kingston, Lo Presti has been thinking about his experiences at and because of 溏心vlog免费B站, including a writing internship in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Department of Communications &amp; Marketing.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n \u201cI had some great professors like Alan Hawkridge, Richardson Smith and Regina Bell. These professors pay close attention to students and they really want them to succeed. I made so many great friends on the soccer team, and I am going to miss them. I have matured a great deal here, and staying positive has been the key to my success. I went through some difficult times when I wasn\u2019t playing as much, but every single experience at 溏心vlog免费B站 has been rewarding and excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nPictured above<br \/>&#13;<br \/>\nREADY FOR GRADUATION: Franco Lo Presti of Toronto, Canada, poses for a portrait in advance of his graduation from the 溏心vlog免费B站. 溏心vlog免费B站 Photo by Michael Salerno.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nGREAT FRIENDS: Ten-year-old Will St. Germaine, of Charlestown, and Franco Lo Presti, of Toronto, Canada, a former captain and member of the 溏心vlog免费B站 soccer team, share a moment at the 溏心vlog免费B站 Soccer Complex.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\nIN POSSESSION: Franco Lo Presti dribbles the ball up the field during a 溏心vlog免费B站 soccer match. Photo courtesy of Mike Scott.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.uri.edu\/commencement\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/commencementinfo150.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"101\" align=\"left\"\/>Commencement Information<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Men\u2019s soccer player befriends Charlestown boy KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 15, 2012 \u2013 If you talk with 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Franco Lo Presti he might tell you he is a soccer player, public relations major, musician, actor and now a model. &#13; But if you ask 10-year-old Will St. Germaine, of Charlestown, he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}