This year there are four Outstanding Beginning Latin Students: Justin Eason, Charles Emmerson, Chelsea Nicoletto, and Benjamin Spick. Justin Eason is from Covington, IA, and is a Junior in Genetics who plans to apply to Medical School and eventually study Neonatology. Justin says, “After noticing how often in Biology we had to refer to a Latin translation (such as, Rigor Mortis) to help explain naming conventions, I decided to learn more about the language and why we use it so often.” Chas Emmerson is a Senior majoring in History and Classical Studies, who plans to pursue graduate study in ancient history. Last summer Chas participated in Classical Studies’ Global Seminar Roman Italy: Building the Empire, a study-abroad program that was integral to his decision to pursue a Classical Studies major. Chelsea Nicoletto is a Senior with a major in Biology, who is also in ROTC and is planning to attend medical school. Ben Spick grew up in St. Charles, IA. Ben is a third-year student majoring in Anthropology and Religious Studies, with a minor in Speech Communication. He took Latin in middle school and has always enjoyed both Classics and learning other languages. “Latin conveys so much more nuance than English does, which is probably the thing I enjoy the most about the language.”
The Outstanding Intermediate Latin Student is Laura Huff. Laura’s hometown is Peshtigo, Wisconsin; she is a Linguistics major and Classical Studies minor. Laura’s interest in Latin is long standing: “I’ve always been interested in languages, and have hoped to learn Latin since I was in middle school. After my first year, I found that I really enjoyed learning Latin and wanted to continue.” In second-year Latin, Laura’s work has exhibited a trajectory of increasing excellence.
The Outstanding Graduating Classical Studies Major is Brenda Tyrrell. In addition to earning a major in Classical Studies, Brenda has completed a major in English and a minor in World Film Studies. Brenda participated in the Global Seminar in Rome last summer, definitely a highlight of her education at ISU. During that time, as in all her classes, Brenda was an astute observer, asked lots of questions, and displayed her deep interest in the ancient world at every museum and archaeological site visited. In the fall, Brenda will enter the Master’s program in English Literature here at ISU, with a focus on Victorian literature.
The Outstanding Graduating Classical Studies Minor is Jared Bloom. Jared, who graduated from Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, is earning a major in History and a minor in Classical Studies. He has always been a top student in his Latin and Classical Studies courses, which is why Prof. Meyers chose him to help revise and edit her Online Latin 101 course. Jared also participated in the Classical Studies program in Rome last summer, where he and fellow classmate Chas Emmerson made it their mission to take as many “selfies” with ancient sculpture as possible. Jared will be pursuing an internship followed by graduate work in the field of Museum Studies.
The 2014-15 Marcus Aurelius Scholarship in Classical Studies was awarded to four students, including Jared Bloom and Brenda Tyrrell. Zackery Hackbarth, a second-time recipient of the award, is a native of Ames. Zack is completing a major in English Education and minors in Classical Studies and Performing Arts. He was always such a meticulous and dedicated student in class, and those qualities are evident in his future pursuits. This summer he will teach a 10-day course of his own design called “We Can Be Heroes” for 4th-8th grade students at the Ames Middle School, combining ancient and modern ideas of the hero. Zack has just accepted a job to teach at Gilbert High School starting in the fall, where he will teach Freshmen English and theater courses. Emily Milton is also a Marcus Aurelius recipient. Emily will graduate in May with a major in Anthropology, a minor in Classical Studies, and a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems; she will complete a second major in International Studies in the fall. In 2013, Emily spent seven weeks excavating on Crete in Classical Studies’ program The Archaeology of Greece. This summer, Emily hopes to be excavating a 300,000-year-old site in Schönigen, Germany, and in the fall she is undertaking an intensive language program in Grenoble, France.