CLASSICS SOPHOMORE LEARNS AND NETWORKS IN SUMMER INTERNSHIP

Department of Classics sophomore Erik Shell to intern at the prestigious Center for Hellenic Studies.

Department of Classics sophomore Erik Shell to intern at the prestigious Center for Hellenic Studies.

Summer is here and UMD students are hard at work interning in the nation’s capital.

This summer, the Center for Hellenic Studies, a Harvard-affiliated research center in Washington D.C., welcomes Department of Classics sophomore Erik Shell.

He will have the opportunity to immerse himself in ancient Greek and Roman culture at the center.  Their research and teaching interests include the evolution of the Greek language and its culture as a central point of contact for all the different civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean world. Greece’s interaction with foreign cultures, including its influence on Rome, is a central part of the center’s work.

“I'm most excited about being so surrounded by Hellenic studies. I feel like that area does not get much attention in the typical college community, so to be surrounded by people who love it so much is a huge blessing,” Shell, the secretary for the UMD Classics Club said.

Shell will work part-time taking on a variety of duties at the center’s library including digitizing the library system by barcoding the books and journals and entering them into an online catalogue.

In June and July, he will become one of five other “Fellowship and Career Development Interns.” He will manage the Curriculum Department’s day to day operations.  He will also video tape and edit guest lectures.

Shell is very excited about the chance to interact with visiting professors during his time at the Center for Hellenic Studies. 

“The networking opportunities will be fantastic and will help me get my foot in the door for graduate school and beyond,” he said. 

After finishing his undergraduate studies at UMD, Shell plans to go to graduate school, obtain his Ph.D., and then teach Ancient Greek history at the college level.