News
Classics in Rome
November 20, 2013
Two from Classics selected for studies in Rome
Posted on November 20, 2013
Two Grand Valley students have been selected to participate in the
Spring 2014 term at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies
(ICCS) in Rome. The highly competitive program is administered by Duke
University. Both students will receive a substantial five-figure
scholarship from ICCS to support their studies.
When Chani Jones was looking for study abroad opportunities in
the Classics, she focused on programs that offered an advanced level
of instruction in Greek and Latin, so that she could remain on
progress toward completing her degree in spring 2015. She found both
at ICCS.
Jones, from Battle Creek, is also a past recipient of an Award
for Outstanding Achievement in the Classics from the Classical
Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS). While at Grand
Valley, she has combined her love of Classics with her interests in
art history, museum curating and writing. She encourages other
students to follow their interests when choosing their studies and
pursuing opportunities such as ICCS, no matter how daunting they may seem.
Jared Groth, a senior from Milford, first became interested in
the Classics during a high school advance placement literature class
where he encountered many Latin phrases. That led to an interest in
Classical languages. At Grand Valley he has pursued a variety of
interests with a double major in Classics and Anthropology, plus a
minor in Archaeology. He also received the Classics Department Award
For Excellence this year at Grand Valley. For his studies at ICCS he
selected "Ancient Rome: Topography and History," Advanced
Greek and Latin, and Basic Italian.
Charles Pazdernik, chair of Grand Valley’s Department of
Classics, said this isn’t the first time that Grand Valley has had
more than one Classics student studying abroad in Rome at the same
time, but it is the first time that two students are participating in
ICCS at the same time. “I think it speaks to the high standard of
preparation each of them demonstrated,” he said.