A Storyteller, a Queen: Highlands Grad Takes Fort Thomas Legacy to Florida

By Jennifer Fischer Davis, Fort Thomas Living Contributor

Lindsey Franxman has a platform and she loves nothing more than to use it for good. The Highlands High School grad and current Miss Winter Park (with the Miss America Organization) is channeling her colorful, multi-hyphenate life into advocating for and advancing childhood literacy and fitness initiatives in her current home in Florida — but it all started right here, in Fort Thomas. 

“I first got involved with Highlands Theatre’s summer program…when I was cast as the leading lady in The Producers,” she explains. “I was astounded by the level of professionalism, discipline, and respect that every member of that production team had. I remember my mom turning to me at one point and asking ‘What do you think about transferring to Highlands…’, and before she could even finish her thought I was adamantly agreeing and planning my transition.”

A future queen was on the rise, but it wasn’t all stages and spotlights. At the age of twelve, Franxman had experienced a life-altering medical crisis that shifted her perspective and opened up the worlds of theatre and journalism as tools of communication for her. “Over days, my normal vision had deteriorated to 20/400 distance, with very limited peripheral vision, and no color. After a brain scan and spinal tap ruled out more catastrophic causes, doctors concluded that a virus had randomly attacked my optic nerve,” she says. “They started medicine to fight it, but were not optimistic about regaining my sight. Miraculously, the medicine worked, and I had full recovery of my vision within weeks, but suffered permanent damage to the outer layer of my optic nerve, which now has to be carefully monitored.”

Franxman channeled crisis into action, and hasn’t let up since. “As a girl who loved reading and sports, this illness which almost took my sight taught me to never take my language skills or my health for granted,” she says. “I’m now the founder and leader of LitFit: Literacy Integration With Fitness Education, providing energetic workshops plus a virtual LitFit Toolkit of curated stories, activities, and resources which promote ‘LitFititude’: the energy and confidence gained from development of literacy skills, strong bodies, and mental health.”

With undergraduate degrees in Journalism/Public Relations and Theatre, graduate degrees in Communications/Public Relations, and an MBA in-progress, it’s no wonder that Franxman views her work through a lens of storytelling. “I realized that my time at Highlands honed my skills as an overall storyteller, — whether it was onstage portraying Morticia Addams in The Addams Family or Ulla in The Producers, or covering outstanding teachers, students, and teams at the school [as an award-winning Cappies critic], I loved developing storylines in a compelling way to draw people in.” 

That exceptional experience and development of craft as a Bluebird deeply influenced her career. “Now I’m a professional storyteller as a Public Relations professional, and I’ve gotten to tell some incredible stories. Like Minnie Mouse’s ‘promotion’ to Captain on the Disney Cruise Line fleet, Hertz’s Electric Vehicle initiative partnerships with major Florida cities, and now as the brand representative for hotels and destinations across the world, including the Florida Keys, Cancun, and the Island of Saba!”

Franxman doesn’t do anything halfway. Her vocation as a PR and communication professional parallels and supports her avocation as a seven-time title holder in the Miss America Organization. “I have gained something from every year as a titleholder, each with its own unique challenges, and now after ten years I see how I exemplify the benefits of pageant participation: scholarship, professional development, and networking, mentorship, and sisterhood,” she explains. “I now host the first and only Florida-based Spotify podcast with local/state/national titleholders called There She Is: Vocations, Avocation, and Passions Fueled by the Miss America Opportunity…I know that I can authentically tell and represent the MAO story.”

Her drive and talents have earned her the success she enjoys and shares today, but Franxman gives some of the credit to her years as a Highlands High School student. “My time in Fort Thomas was a turning point in my life, and pivotal in all of my success and pursuits later in life. I have the unique opportunity this summer to leave a legacy for my hometown: becoming Miss Florida!” she says. “I have the experience, skills, and passion to do it, and those are all things I can trace back to origins in Fort Thomas. Who knows — perhaps I’ll have to do a special ‘homecoming’ celebration after the Miss Florida competition this June! Fort Thomas, wish me luck!”