In Spring 2021, the department began offering awards for outstanding undergraduate students of Latin. Students applied for the awards with short essays about why they chose to study this ancient language.
Congratulations to the winners of the First Year Latin Award (for outstanding work in completing LAT102: Elementary Latin II): Liam Reece Larkin-Smith and Jeff Michael Millbury.
Congratulations to the winners of the Second Year Latin Award (for outstanding work in Completing LAT 202: Intermediate Latin II): Alia Elizabeth Bushaw and Brandon O'Sullivan.
The award winners are featured below with excerpts from their own words about the joys of Latin.
Alia Elizabeth Bushaw: “I find the study of Latin to be fulfilling because of the nature of the language. As a dead language, the continual study of Latin is crucial to keeping the language alive. Though Latin in its original form may not exist today, we still see its influence in many places today in some phrases and words as well as in the Romance Languages. So, there is a relevant place for Latin in not only academia but everyday life. And as a young Classicist, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to witness the flexibility of Latin and the exemplary skills of authors like Ovid, Horace, or Virgil.”
Liam Reece Larkin-Smith: “Why I find Latin rewarding is closely tied to why I chose to study it. I originally chose to study Latin for a couple of reasons. The first being that I love history and Latin is one of the cooler dead languages to learn, considering that its origin is from one of the greatest historical empires in history. Plus, it’s also fascinating to learn about Roman culture, how it compares to our own, as well as origins for some of our most used words and phrases. I had no idea the phrase “can’t live with women, can’t live without them” was from the Latin poet Martial originally, or at least an older version of the phrase with the same meaning. The second reason was that I thought it would be useful in my study of Law later in my academic career. Many legal terms are steeped in latin if not outright latin phrases themselves, like pro bono. On top of this, Latin was also used as an academic language for a very long time, especially legal matters and laws themselves. I find the connections between Latin and other modern languages very rewarding, as well as being a very useful tool to remember words with.”
Jeff Michael Millbury: “Studying Latin is rewarding in many different ways. Latin has a rich cultural context that is maintained in the language itself, as well as the surviving texts we have today. Latin also has many similarities with a variety of languages, which also makes it that much more interesting to study! While it does share many things with a plethora of languages commonly used today, Latin itself is still a unique language that has been preserved as one of the best parts of the ancient world.”
Brandon O’Sullivan: “Studying Latin has given me the ability to read the language and literature of the ancient Romans. Reading Roman poets like Virgil, Ovid, and Horace this last year has been as rewarding as it has been challenging. As I transition into my next year of studying Latin at a more accelerated level, I would like to thank my instructors Elise Larres and Dr. Robert Groves for their patience in helping me translate difficult texts and master Latin grammar. I am ready to continue my journey of reading Latin animis opibusque parati.”