Classics is my Career

Whenever I say I study Classics I usually have to explain what the field actually is.  

Classics is more than archaeology and ancient text: it is the study of our origins. As a society and a species we have precariously documented the development of our origin stories through various mediums. Our origins begin in the vase painting of Greek heroes, as well as in our hashtags. The study of Classics is critical to our ethics, as it lets us into new perspectives of the temporal nature of our current struggles and to see how civilizations have overcome before. 

I am a student at prestigious Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia.  Words cannot describe how blessed I am to be able to cultivate my studies in such an accepting, challenging and supportive environment. I can walk into my professors office and tell them all about my ideas, and I can count on their feedback. 

This January (2019) Hollins is offering a J-Term study abroad in Greece, led by Dr. Christina Salowey and Dr. Christopher Richter, titled "Cultural Crossroads Ancient to Modern." Both professors have more than 40 years combined of experience in the region; it would be considered a privilege to study with such accomplished names in their fields. I have taken several classes with Professor Salowey that prepared me to study in Greece already.  For more information on J-Terms and Hollins click here ! 

For the spring semester of 2018 I studied with Arcadia University in Athens.  This was a life changing experience because it gave me the up close and personal interactions with the content that I had previously only seen as pictures in textbooks. I ate up everything around me (literally), from the language, to the politics, to the enjoyment of Greek philosophies sitting with strangers in tavernas. The upcoming J-Term would offer me a much different experience. My studies would be focused around the central theme of how different cultures have and continue to interact in Greece, and we would be mostly traveling in places I did not get to see before. 

As a Classicist I find it essential that we make all of our content accessible and familiar to everyone, not based on class, education, or race. Think of how eye-opening it is to look at a simple bowl (or fragment of one) and conceptualize the hands that made it thousands of years ago. Think about how your hands look the same holding it today. 

My fundraising goal of $4500 is to cover the tuition (which is all expenses included) to study with Professor Salowey and Professor Richter in Greece this January. Of course, as I look to you family members, friends, and those I have yet to meet in my endeavors it is in full faith that the money will be spent on diligent study. I plan on being able to use the knowledge gained abroad towards my thesis (which I will write in the next academic year), and the experience in Greece brings me closer to going to grad school in Europe (one of my many dreams).  In addition to GoFundMe I am applying to scholarships within and without my school to cover the costs. I am happy to accept a conditional donations as well, should you like me to intern, work, or perform research in the states or abroad.

Thank you in advance for your donations, every little bit helps. I have a deadline of putting a down payment of $2000 by 9/28. Hollins is the kind of institution that has never let financial restrictions keep me from being focused on my goals, and with the support of my community those restrictions never will.