Alumni
What can you do with Classics? Browse through our alumni stories to see the variety of fields and vocations they’ve pursued.
Amy Anderson
BA 2012, Classics and Archaeology
Herington Prize in Greek, 2012
Herington Prize in Latin, 2010
Stacia Byers Wells Award, 2010
Nims Scholarship, 2009
PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University of California at Santa Barbara: Blackwell Lab, Kurin Bioarchaeology and Biochemistry Lab, Broom Center for Demography
I am currently pursuing a PhD in anthropology at the University of California Santa Barbara, with a focus in the skeletal biology of human disease. My work involves both bioarchaeology and biological anthropology, and at the time of writing (summer 2016). I am a research intern at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
BA 2012, Classics and Archaeology
Herington Prize in Greek, 2012
Herington Prize in Latin, 2010
Stacia Byers Wells Award, 2010
Nims Scholarship, 2009
PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University of California at Santa Barbara: Blackwell Lab, Kurin Bioarchaeology and Biochemistry Lab, Broom Center for Demography
I am currently pursuing a PhD in anthropology at the University of California Santa Barbara, with a focus in the skeletal biology of human disease. My work involves both bioarchaeology and biological anthropology, and at the time of writing (summer 2016). I am a research intern at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Ashlie Canipe
BA 2008, Combined Greek and Latin with a Minor in Poetry Writing (Highest Honors)
Latin Instructor, Thales Academy Rolesville
During the course of my workday, scores of people eager to understand the language of the Romans ask me questions such as, Why does Latin have irregular verbs?, Who decided to make Zeus the god of oaths if he’s so unfaithful in his own marriage?, and Do I have to memorize this chart? You see, the scores of people I interact with on a daily basis are my junior-high-aged Latin students.
BA 2008, Combined Greek and Latin with a Minor in Poetry Writing (Highest Honors)
Latin Instructor, Thales Academy Rolesville
During the course of my workday, scores of people eager to understand the language of the Romans ask me questions such as, Why does Latin have irregular verbs?, Who decided to make Zeus the god of oaths if he’s so unfaithful in his own marriage?, and Do I have to memorize this chart? You see, the scores of people I interact with on a daily basis are my junior-high-aged Latin students.
Kristina Cheung
BA 2016, Business Administration and Latin
Albert Suskin Prize in Latin, 2014, 2015, and 2016
MS Accounting, Stern School of Business, New York University, 2017
Certified Public Accountant
I came to Carolina with no intention of declaring a Classics major. After all, what was the point if I wanted to start my career in business? As a first year, however, I registered for my first college Latin class (Vergil) as a way to ease the transition from high school to college. As the semesters went on, I continued to take more and more classes in Murphey Hall and enjoyed every minute of them up until I graduated in May 2016.
BA 2016, Business Administration and Latin
Albert Suskin Prize in Latin, 2014, 2015, and 2016
MS Accounting, Stern School of Business, New York University, 2017
Certified Public Accountant
I came to Carolina with no intention of declaring a Classics major. After all, what was the point if I wanted to start my career in business? As a first year, however, I registered for my first college Latin class (Vergil) as a way to ease the transition from high school to college. As the semesters went on, I continued to take more and more classes in Murphey Hall and enjoyed every minute of them up until I graduated in May 2016.
Aileen Das
BA 2008, Combined Greek and Latin
Nims Scholarship, 2006
Associate Professor of Classical and Mediterranean Studies, University of Michigan
This spring [2016] marks eight years since I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Classical Languages. After leaving Chapel Hill, I obtained my masters from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then left the US to pursue my doctoral studies in Classics at the University of Warwick in the UK. I am now an Assistant Professor in Classical Philology and Mediterranean Studies at the University of Michigan.
BA 2008, Combined Greek and Latin
Nims Scholarship, 2006
Associate Professor of Classical and Mediterranean Studies, University of Michigan
This spring [2016] marks eight years since I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Classical Languages. After leaving Chapel Hill, I obtained my masters from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then left the US to pursue my doctoral studies in Classics at the University of Warwick in the UK. I am now an Assistant Professor in Classical Philology and Mediterranean Studies at the University of Michigan.
Meghan DeMaria
BA 2013, Classical Civilization and English
Editor & Writer at Nicki Swift
I graduated from UNC’s undergraduate program in 2013, with a degree in Classical Civilization and a second major in English. I never really planned to go into a career in Classics, but I’d always been interested in the ancient world. Ever since I was young, I’d been interested in a career in writing. In college, I realized journalism would be a natural fit, and I started writing for the Daily Tar Heel and taking on magazine internships, even though it wasn’t my major. I still loved that I was involved in Classics, though–it was something I probably wouldn’t have the chance to learn about again, and it always gave me an interesting talking point during interviews and at networking events.
BA 2013, Classical Civilization and English
Editor & Writer at Nicki Swift
I graduated from UNC’s undergraduate program in 2013, with a degree in Classical Civilization and a second major in English. I never really planned to go into a career in Classics, but I’d always been interested in the ancient world. Ever since I was young, I’d been interested in a career in writing. In college, I realized journalism would be a natural fit, and I started writing for the Daily Tar Heel and taking on magazine internships, even though it wasn’t my major. I still loved that I was involved in Classics, though–it was something I probably wouldn’t have the chance to learn about again, and it always gave me an interesting talking point during interviews and at networking events.
Blair Gormley
BA 1995, Classics
Cyber Security Specialist at General Dynamics Information Technology
I have a very unusual path and done a number of things in my life which I will share with you undergraduates.
I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1995 with two BAs in Classics with a concentration in Latin and History.
I taught middle school Latin for three years at private schools before deciding I wanted a higher degree. Having had the fortune to excavate in Pompeii during my first summer of teaching, I got bit by the archaeology bug and decided to do my PhD in it, as I did not love Latin enough to go and get my PhD in the language.
BA 1995, Classics
Cyber Security Specialist at General Dynamics Information Technology
I have a very unusual path and done a number of things in my life which I will share with you undergraduates.
I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1995 with two BAs in Classics with a concentration in Latin and History.
I taught middle school Latin for three years at private schools before deciding I wanted a higher degree. Having had the fortune to excavate in Pompeii during my first summer of teaching, I got bit by the archaeology bug and decided to do my PhD in it, as I did not love Latin enough to go and get my PhD in the language.
Elvis Oxley
BA 1995, Classics
Managing Director, McKeon Oxley Government Contracting, LLC
I attended a private elementary school in Northern Virginia from 3rd to 8th grade. My headmaster was a Quaker woman with a deep appreciation for the Classics and my deputy headmaster couldn’t get enough Shakespeare. Needless to say, having read Beowulf in 6th and Homer’s epics in 7th grade and acting in multiple full Shakespeare and Rogers & Hammerstein productions made me an oddity in my neighborhood.
BA 1995, Classics
Managing Director, McKeon Oxley Government Contracting, LLC
I attended a private elementary school in Northern Virginia from 3rd to 8th grade. My headmaster was a Quaker woman with a deep appreciation for the Classics and my deputy headmaster couldn’t get enough Shakespeare. Needless to say, having read Beowulf in 6th and Homer’s epics in 7th grade and acting in multiple full Shakespeare and Rogers & Hammerstein productions made me an oddity in my neighborhood.
Stephanos Papadopoulos
BA 1998, Classical Archaeology
Poet and Translator, Furniture Maker and Sculptor
I’ve always hesitated to think of poetry as a “career” because it is not a real job, and at risk of sounding pretentious, is more of a “vocation”. If you can’t approach your daily work with a feeling of expectation and wonder, or at the very least a feeling of satisfaction, not necessarily in accomplishing, but in doing–then it’s probably not going to give you much in return. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but I approached that path through a degree in Classics (Archaeology) and the desire for experience. This led me away from an academic path in literature but very much towards a life of travel and various work that I found interesting. I was very lucky to find great mentors who were willing to take me seriously and share their friendships and their knowledge with me.
BA 1998, Classical Archaeology
Poet and Translator, Furniture Maker and Sculptor
I’ve always hesitated to think of poetry as a “career” because it is not a real job, and at risk of sounding pretentious, is more of a “vocation”. If you can’t approach your daily work with a feeling of expectation and wonder, or at the very least a feeling of satisfaction, not necessarily in accomplishing, but in doing–then it’s probably not going to give you much in return. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but I approached that path through a degree in Classics (Archaeology) and the desire for experience. This led me away from an academic path in literature but very much towards a life of travel and various work that I found interesting. I was very lucky to find great mentors who were willing to take me seriously and share their friendships and their knowledge with me.
Celia Pistolis
BA 1978, Classics with Honors
Litigation Director, Legal Aid of North Carolina
I am a double Tar Heel with a bachelor’s in Classics and Juris Doctor from Carolina Law. I am currently the litigation director of Legal Aid North Carolina, a nonprofit that provides free legal help to low-income North Carolinians in civil cases, primarily those involving domestic violence, safe housing and public benefits. My role is to oversee the organization’s major cases before the state’s highest courts. I am privileged to have been a legal aid attorney for my entire professional career, and I love my work.
BA 1978, Classics with Honors
Litigation Director, Legal Aid of North Carolina
I am a double Tar Heel with a bachelor’s in Classics and Juris Doctor from Carolina Law. I am currently the litigation director of Legal Aid North Carolina, a nonprofit that provides free legal help to low-income North Carolinians in civil cases, primarily those involving domestic violence, safe housing and public benefits. My role is to oversee the organization’s major cases before the state’s highest courts. I am privileged to have been a legal aid attorney for my entire professional career, and I love my work.
Henry Ross
BA 2013, Classics (Latin) with a Biology minor
Epps Prize 2012
J.D., Columbia University Law School 2017
I graduated from UNC in 2013, worked in Bangkok, Thailand as a Luce Scholar in 2013-2014, and am now a third-year law student at Columbia Law School. I am primarily interested in international and criminal law. After graduating, I hope to clerk for a federal judge before pursuing a career in government or private practice. Apart from being an engaging and rewarding way to spend four years, my study of Classics at UNC has been valuable to me in two primary ways: as a ground for world-class academic training and as a source of mentorship.
BA 2013, Classics (Latin) with a Biology minor
Epps Prize 2012
J.D., Columbia University Law School 2017
I graduated from UNC in 2013, worked in Bangkok, Thailand as a Luce Scholar in 2013-2014, and am now a third-year law student at Columbia Law School. I am primarily interested in international and criminal law. After graduating, I hope to clerk for a federal judge before pursuing a career in government or private practice. Apart from being an engaging and rewarding way to spend four years, my study of Classics at UNC has been valuable to me in two primary ways: as a ground for world-class academic training and as a source of mentorship.
Kelci Schilly
BS/BA 2015, Chemistry and Classics (Combined Greek and Latin)
PhD, Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Kansas, 2021
I graduated from UNC in May 2015 with a double major in Chemistry (BS) and Classics, Greek and Latin language. I am currently a second-year graduate student at the University of Kansas working on earning my Ph.D. in Bioanalytical Chemistry. After graduation, I am hoping to start a career in the pharmaceutical industry. I fell in love with Latin in high school and when I arrived at UNC I knew I wanted to continue my study of the language and culture.
BS/BA 2015, Chemistry and Classics (Combined Greek and Latin)
PhD, Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Kansas, 2021
I graduated from UNC in May 2015 with a double major in Chemistry (BS) and Classics, Greek and Latin language. I am currently a second-year graduate student at the University of Kansas working on earning my Ph.D. in Bioanalytical Chemistry. After graduation, I am hoping to start a career in the pharmaceutical industry. I fell in love with Latin in high school and when I arrived at UNC I knew I wanted to continue my study of the language and culture.
Henry Spelman
BA 2010, Combined Greek and Latin
Luce Scholarship 2013
Rhodes Scholarship 2010
Eben Alexander Prize in Greek, 2009 and 2010
Epps Prize in Greek Studies, 2009
Albert Suskin Prize in Latin, 2009
Herington Scholarship 2007 and 2008
WHD Rouse Junior Research Fellow, Christ’s College, Cambridge
I arrived at UNC as a freshman unsure if I wanted to major in literature, history, or a foreign language. In Classics I discovered a deeply interdisciplinary subject that combines all these interests. I’ve been hooked ever since. After Chapel Hill I moved to England and took a doctorate at Balliol College, Oxford. I’ve just completed my first year as a research fellow at Christ’s College, Cambridge. I hope eventually to return stateside and begin a career as an academic.
BA 2010, Combined Greek and Latin
Luce Scholarship 2013
Rhodes Scholarship 2010
Eben Alexander Prize in Greek, 2009 and 2010
Epps Prize in Greek Studies, 2009
Albert Suskin Prize in Latin, 2009
Herington Scholarship 2007 and 2008
WHD Rouse Junior Research Fellow, Christ’s College, Cambridge
I arrived at UNC as a freshman unsure if I wanted to major in literature, history, or a foreign language. In Classics I discovered a deeply interdisciplinary subject that combines all these interests. I’ve been hooked ever since. After Chapel Hill I moved to England and took a doctorate at Balliol College, Oxford. I’ve just completed my first year as a research fellow at Christ’s College, Cambridge. I hope eventually to return stateside and begin a career as an academic.
Mark Suskin
BA 1974, Classics with a Physics minor
Eben Alexander Prize in Greek, 1973
National Science Foundation, Retired
I graduated from Chapel Hill in 1974 with a B.A. in Classics and a minor in Physics. (I grew up in Chapel Hill, and my father, Albert Suskin, was a long-time professor of Classics and chairman of the department at the time of his death in 1965.) I was a graduate student in Classics at Princeton until 1976, when I left to explore the “real world” for a few years. Working at a manual-labor job gave me some much-needed experience, but it was not very stimulating intellectually, so I decided to return to graduate school in Physics and received my PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1987. The degree in Physics opened many doors for me–I had several interesting and productive research jobs before ending up at the National Science Foundation, where I worked for 19 years until my retirement in July of 2015.
BA 1974, Classics with a Physics minor
Eben Alexander Prize in Greek, 1973
National Science Foundation, Retired
I graduated from Chapel Hill in 1974 with a B.A. in Classics and a minor in Physics. (I grew up in Chapel Hill, and my father, Albert Suskin, was a long-time professor of Classics and chairman of the department at the time of his death in 1965.) I was a graduate student in Classics at Princeton until 1976, when I left to explore the “real world” for a few years. Working at a manual-labor job gave me some much-needed experience, but it was not very stimulating intellectually, so I decided to return to graduate school in Physics and received my PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1987. The degree in Physics opened many doors for me–I had several interesting and productive research jobs before ending up at the National Science Foundation, where I worked for 19 years until my retirement in July of 2015.
Tristram Thomas
BA 2009, Latin (Highest Honors) with a Minor in French
Market Fundamentals Analyst, Constellation Energy
I arrived at Carolina as a freshman interested in current events, politics and economics, media, and foreign languages. However, whenever I took classes in these topics, I found them unsatisfying and could not imagine pursuing them as a full major. Instead, I gravitated towards my Classics classes, which I had been using to fill general requirements. Not only did I find these classes challenging and stimulating from the standpoint of intellectual rigor, but I found them fascinating in their own right. Greek tragedy with Prof. Race, Roman History with Prof. Talbert, Latin literature across the spectrum: these were just some of the courses I loved. By 2009, I graduated with a B.A. in Classics – Latin and a minor in French. I also completed an undergraduate thesis with highest honors on Cicero and his strategies to preserve the Republic.
BA 2009, Latin (Highest Honors) with a Minor in French
Market Fundamentals Analyst, Constellation Energy
I arrived at Carolina as a freshman interested in current events, politics and economics, media, and foreign languages. However, whenever I took classes in these topics, I found them unsatisfying and could not imagine pursuing them as a full major. Instead, I gravitated towards my Classics classes, which I had been using to fill general requirements. Not only did I find these classes challenging and stimulating from the standpoint of intellectual rigor, but I found them fascinating in their own right. Greek tragedy with Prof. Race, Roman History with Prof. Talbert, Latin literature across the spectrum: these were just some of the courses I loved. By 2009, I graduated with a B.A. in Classics – Latin and a minor in French. I also completed an undergraduate thesis with highest honors on Cicero and his strategies to preserve the Republic.