Prof. Polyvia Parara honored as faculty mentor

Dr. Polyvia Parara, Visiting Assistant Professor of Modern Greek in the Department of Classics, has received recognition for her outstanding teaching and mentoring.  Ms. Anna Bella Sicilia, a rising senior who is earning a minor in modern Greek,...

Dr. Polyvia Parara, Visiting Assistant Professor of Modern Greek in the Department of Classics, has received recognition for her outstanding teaching and mentoring.  Ms. Anna Bella Sicilia, a rising senior who is earning a minor in modern Greek, has been named a Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar for 2017-18 and in turn has named Dr. Parara as the faculty mentor who has had the greatest impact on her academic achievement.  Both Ms. Sicilia and Dr. Parara were honored at a luncheon on November 17 at University House. 

As Ms. Sicilia puts it, "Professor Parara’s encouragement has been the driving force behind my interest in Greek, which has grown from tentative curiosity to completion of the Modern Greek Minor this semester. . . She has always pushed me to overcome the discouragement that can accompany the study of any foreign language, cultivating my confidence without sacrificing the rigor of her classes."

Dr. Gregory Staley, Professor of Classics, was named as an outstanding faculty mentor by one of last year's Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars, Mr. Joshua Weaver.