This past summer, several graduate students in the Classics Department had the invaluable opportunity to enhance their language skills, thanks to the generous support of the Penelope Biggs Scholarship Fund. Here, we feature reflections from four students who made the most of this opportunity, studying languages essential to their scholarly pursuits.

 

Despite initially planning to take the German for Reading and Translation course at WashU, María Eugenia Bonaparte Giménez quickly adapted to the changing circumstances at the end of the spring semester. With the Classics Department’s swift and effective response to student needs, María was able to enroll in an online course offered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

"The course's flexibility allowed me to travel to Argentina to renew my student visa without disrupting my academic plans," María shared. She further reflected on the course's interactive nature, which included diverse ungraded practice modes and invaluable feedback from her professor. By the end of the course, María was translating Thomas Mann's "The Death in Venice," finding herself immersed in the beauty of the German language. "This course has granted me access to a world of literature and scholarship that was previously distant to me," she added.

 

Zhiyuan Wang expressed profound gratitude for the opportunity to improve his French language skills over the summer. His studies not only bolstered his confidence in reading French literature but also allowed him to engage deeply with works by Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Camus.

 

"Reading Proust's madeleine moment in French illuminated how memory and feeling unfold through words," Zhiyuan reflected. Empowered by this experience, he is now well-prepared to consult French scholarship for his research. Zhiyuan's summer studies were a fulfilling journey into French existential literature, made possible by the Penelope Biggs Scholarship Fund.

 

Sarah Mason also benefited from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's German for Reading and Translation course, which was offered asynchronously. Her journey from having no prior knowledge of German to comfortably translating multi-page academic texts was a rewarding endeavor.

 

“I have long wanted to learn to read German for its relevance to my research interests,” Sarah noted. The skills she acquired through this course have significantly advanced her capabilities as a scholar, a development she attributes to the support from the fellowship.

 

For William Sieving, the summer German course was a crucial step in his scholarly development, particularly in the field of papyrology, where research is conducted in French, Italian, and German.

 

"This class has improved my familiarity with German, enabling me to read significant publications in the field," William stated. His enhanced language skills have already borne fruit, facilitating citations in a recent article for the Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists. Furthermore, this experience was invaluable during his trip to the 31st International Congress of Papyrology in Germany.

 

The reflections of María Eugenia, Zhiyuan, Sarah, and William underscore the transformative impact of the Penelope Biggs Scholarship Fund on their academic journeys. Their summer language studies have opened new avenues for research and scholarship, propelling them toward their academic goals with newfound confidence and expertise.

 

The Classics Department is immensely proud of these scholars and grateful for the support that enables such enriching opportunities.