Henry Ross, a senior Classics major with a minor in biology and a Morehead-Cain Scholar, has been awarded a competitive fellowship from the Henry Luce Foundation to live and learn in Asia for a year after he graduates this spring.
The Luce Scholars Program selects 15-18 college seniors from a national pool of nominated candidates based on the students’ leadership and academic achievements. Fellows live and work in Asia for a year with the intent to gain exposure to the content as a benefit to their future careers. Ross plans to enter law school.
“I don’t yet know the specifics of my position or location in Asia, but I hope to gain valuable insight into foreign arrest, adjudication, and incarceration policies,” Ross explained.
Ross is completing his senior thesis on the depiction of the bee society in the Fourth Book of Vergil’s Georgics, one of the most challenging poems in Latin, under the direction of James J. O’Hara.
“Despite his busy schedule, he works hard, writes well, and responds well to all my comments on his drafts,” commented Prof. O’Hara.
“Henry is one of our star students–he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and he has worked on the Student Honor Court for years,” added Sharon L. James. “We are delighted to see him win this very competitive, prestigious scholarship.”
Additionally, Ross has completed graduate-level coursework in Latin and won the 2012 Preston H. and Miriam Epps Prize in Greek Studies. Beyond Carolina, he has taught in Zimbabwe and researched in Cape Town, South Africa.
“Study in the Classics Department has been my most valuable academic experience at Carolina, and vital in my preparation and selection for the Luce,” Ross reflected. “Like the department, the Luce Foundation embraces a holistic study of language, history, literature, and culture. In Asia, and in my legal career, I will rely on my background in Classics to make connections and express my ideas. The professors here who have deepened my interest in the ancient world have also exemplified rigor, integrity, collegiality, humility, attention to detail, and commitment to learning. I hope to follow their example and put to use the skills I have learned as I pursue work and study in criminal law.”
Aside from his academic work, Ross has interned for the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C., and now works as the student body’s deputy student attorney general and solicitor general.
We congratulate him for this significant achievement!