Graduate Alumni Careers

SHANDI LI (2025) is currently a PhD student in Classics at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

WILLIAM ROBERTS (2025) is currently a middle school Latin teacher at Calvert School, Baltimore.

MARY CATHERINE CONTRERAS (MA 2024) will be joining the PhD program in Classics at Johns Hopkins University in the Fall of 2026.

ALEX HOUSEMAN (2024) is a PhD student in Classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

EVAN DILL (2023) is a Latin teacher at St. Thomas’ Episcopal School, Houston TX.

CHELSEA STOLT (2023) is currently a PhD student in the Teaching, Learning, Policy, and Leadership department of  the College of Education, University of Maryland.

LILIA ELLIS (2022) is studying for an MDiv degree at the University of Chicago Divinity School. For our 2024 Newsletter, Lilia wrote: “I have put my Classics MA to use, working closely with the Latin text of Hildegard and presenting at conferences. In 2024-2025 I will be writing my MDiv thesis on themes of exile in Hadewijch, and working for the Christian Century.”

SHAUN ESPENSHADE (2022) is pursuing a PhD in Classics at the University of Michigan.

MARISSA KRMPOTICH (2022) is  a PhD student of Greek and Latin at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.

WILLIAM LINNEY (2021) is currently a PhD student of Greek and Latin at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.

ERIK ROODZANT (2021) is a a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton supporting efforts related to research on the health of women. He recently co-authored two articles in this field. The first analyzes stakeholder responses to a public request for information issued in advance of a conference organized to identify potential directions for women’s health research. The second comments on gender as a social and structural variable that is critical to advancing health research that promotes health equity. (2023 Newsletter update)

SEAN MOORMAN (2020) is a PhD student in Classics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

TARA WELLS (2020) is currently in the PhD program in Classical Studies at Duke University, and is pursuing a concentration in Archaeology. For our 2024 Newsletter, Tara wrote: “I'm heading into my 5th year in the PhD program in Classical Studies at Duke University. It's incredible to think that it's been that long since my time at UMD! The 2023-2024 year was a whirlwind as I spent it as a Regular Member at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. While there, I successfully defended my dissertation prospectus - in addition to completing such an intense, enriching program.”

MARISSA HICKS SWAN (2019). Marissa wrote for our 2023 Newsletter: “I'm going into my 5th year in the Classics PhD program at Columbia. This past academic year I successfully defended my dissertation prospectus, taught Intensive Elementary Greek, and Intermediate Latin II, served as a co-organizer for the department's colloquium talk series, and was granted a Teaching Assessment Fellowship through the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Going into my dissertation fellowship year, I am excited to have a much needed break from teaching, and to get as much writing done as possible (hopefully). I will still be serving as a co-organizer for the Classics Colloquium, and I will be a teaching consultant at the CTL. This summer has also been busy! At the end of June I gave a talk at the European Academy of Religion's annual conference in St. Andrews, Scotland, and I am currently teaching a summer session mythology course.”

BENJAMIN TURNBULL (2019). Ben took up a position in New York University as the Metadata Librarian for the Humanities in 2025. Since this is 6-year tenure-track position, he expects to actively engage in research and to pursue publication in both Classics and Library Science.

Ben earned his MA in 2019 from the University of Maryland, where he focused on Greek and Latin poetry, particularly epic, lyric, and elegy, as well as the intersections between poetry, philosophy, and historiography.  While at Maryland, Ben translated and edited selections of Medieval Latin for a Research Assistantship with UMD English Professor Dr. Ralph Bauer.

In 2021, Ben earned his Masters of Science in Library and Information Science (MSLIS) from the Catholic University of America, where he focused on cultural heritage information management. After finishing his degree, he was the Technical Services Librarian at the Dominican House of Studies of Washington, DC.

Before studying Classics at the University of Maryland, Ben earned his BA in Classics with a double major in Studio Art from Skidmore College and he attended the Post-Baccalaureate Program in Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.  During his time at Penn, Ben worked as a Reading Room Assistant at the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, an experience which enabled him to identify librarianship as his chosen career path.

Ben actively utilizes his knowledge of Classics within his chosen field.  As a cataloger, Ben facilitates description, discovery and access to library materials in diverse languages, both ancient and modern.  He enjoys reading and translating texts from various ancient languages, including Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Egyptian, Coptic and, most recently, Akkadian. In addition, Ben composes his own poetry on the side.  He hopes to pursue supplementary projects involving translation and editing primary sources, researching book history, digital image manipulation of rare books and manuscripts, and one-on-one language tutoring.

Ben writes: “I am continuously inspired by the interdisciplinary nature of Classics as a field at the intersection of so many others.  Classicists’ knowledge of Ancient Greece and Rome enables them to encounter additional fields and engage with them in order to study nuanced relationships between words, cultures, languages, and peoples.  Accordingly, the University of Maryland’s Classics MA Program allowed me to explore these complexities in-depth and equipped me with a distinct skillset that has enabled me to pursue a fulfilling career as an academic librarian."

EMILY ERICKSON (2018) defended her dissertation prospectus and advanced to candidacy in her PhD program in Classics at the University of Oregon. Since then, she has been working on dissertation chapters and planning a small research trip to Italy and Austria for this summer. She participated in the American Academy in Rome's Classical Summer School program in Italy in the summer of 2025. (2025 Newsletter update)

WILL AUSTIN (2017). Dr. Austin obtained his PhD in Art History and Archaeology at Princeton University, and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Pratt Institute, New York.

TALIA CHICHERIO (2016) is a Latin teacher at the McLean School in Potomac, MD. For our 2024 Newsletter, Talia informed us that she is the Social Media Coordinator for the Classical Association of the Atlantic States.

INNA KUNZ (2016) continues to teach Latin at Easton High School. (2024 Newsletter update)

ROBERT SANTUCCI (2016). Dr. Santucci obtained his PhD in Classics at the University of Michigan in 2022. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Latin and Classical Studies at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. For our 2025 Newsletter update, he let us know that he's teaching Mythology, Intermediate Latin, and a course on food and eating in Rome, entitled What Does Ancient Rome Taste Like? He organized an end-of-year symposium for the course, where students cooked and served dishes from Cato and Apicius. Rob continues to be active with research, working on his first book and having articles published or forthcoming in the American Journal of Philology, Mnemosyne, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, and Transformative Works and Culture.

NOAH COGAN (2015) is currently a Latin teacher at St. Catherine's School in Richmond, VA.

EMILY MOHR (2015) is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University, where she is studying ancient Greek art and archaeology.

RACHEL (MULLERVY) GRYNIEWICZ (2014) For our 2024 Newsletter, Rachel wrote: “After leaving teaching last year, I am about to celebrate one year as Client Experience Coordinator and Executive Function Coach at LifeSolved Coaching. In this role, I oversee the client onboarding process and work with students and adults of all ages to develop Executive Function skills. It is always fun when I work with a student who studies Latin and I can give some extra help!”

RIAN SIRKUS (2014) earned a JD from New York Law School in 2023 and is a Judicial Law Clerk for the New Jersey Superior Court in Jersey City. (2024 Newsletter update)

PHIL GALLAGHER (2013) is a Latin teacher at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in Mooresboro, North Carolina. For our 2019 Newsletter, he informed us that he was teaching a spoken Latin course for Virginia's Governor's Latin Academy each summer, and directed a production of Plautus' Mostellaria for the academy. He regularly uses the skills he honed studying Classics for a number of side projects, including maintaining his own educational website.

KENNETH SILVERMAN (2013) obtained a PhD degree in Classics in 2022 from the University of Florida.

MEGAN MAIER (2012). Megan earned her M.A. in 2012 from the University of Maryland, where she focused on Latin and ancient history while leading weekly discussion sessions for undergraduate students taking Greek & Roman Mythology. After graduation, she entered law school at the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College, where she put to work the strong research skills she developed as a student of ancient languages and history. During her time in law school, Megan studied civil rights and held several animal law internships, including one in a government relations office in Washington, D.C.

Megan's classical studies background boosted her ability to zealously study for the bar exam and in 2019 she was admitted to the State Bar of Montana. She now puts her analytical expertise to work as the Senior Research Associate at Verified Voting, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that advocates for legislation and regulations that promote the accuracy, transparency, and verifiability of U.S. elections. Megan also offers pro bono support to the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s attorney network and has had articles published in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law and Social Change and the DePaul Journal of Women, Gender and the Law.

For our 2025 Newsletter, Megan let us know that she continues her work to inform and support voters-especially those from historically disenfranchised communities. Ahead of last year's elections, she enjoyed giving several briefings on the laws and policies that affect voters and was even interviewed on a few podcasts. This year, she is volunteering and analyzing state legislation.

STEPHEN ROJCEWICZ (2012) informed us in the 2025 Newsletter that he has published two journal articles and an encyclopedia entry this past year. The articles are: "Villa Rhabani: Foreshadowing Wilder's Masterpieces" in the Thornton Wilder Journal (5.1: 62-75, 2024), and "Reconsiderations: Blank's Critical Essays on Thornton Wilder", in the Thornton Wilder Journal (5.2: 263-283, 2025). The entry is "Thornton Wilder (1897-1975)", in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism, 2025.

HARRISON SEPULVEDA (2012). For our 2024 Newsletter, Harrison wrote: "“I taught high school Latin and English for a decade during which time I served as English department chair and led three archeological study abroad tours to Italy. I have made a switch to higher education. I am now the university commencement and records specialist at the University of North Florida. I am also an adjunct professor of the humanities at the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) where I teach sections of a class on laughter and grief in Greece and Rome on both military and civilian campuses.” 

In an earlier correspondence, he wrote: "My professors in UMD Classics certainly taught me how to be a scholar, but they also taught me that  understanding the human condition is an increasingly worthwhile endeavor as the world becomes more connected and more complex. Languages and peoples may die, but it’s too little realized that their vestiges illuminate so much for the living.”

ERIK MAGINNIS (2010) earned an EdD in Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia and is now the Academic Dean at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, MD. (2020 Newsletter update)

BRENDAN MAGEE (2008). For our 2023 Newsletter, Brendan writes: "I'm still in London, still working as a software engineer at NatWest Group (formerly Royal Bank of Scotland). The programming aspects of the job are interesting and challenging, and the work–life balance is infinitely healthier than what I experienced at US-based companies. Of course I miss everyone in the DC area, but I console myself with the fact that I have numerous opportunities to engage with the classics, both here in London and in Europe."

RICCARDO PUGLIESE (2007) is the Webmaster for John Cabot University in Rome. For our 2024 Newsletter, Riccardo wrote: "Palgrave Macmillan just published my latest book on the concept of freedom and choice in Kierkegaard and Sartre. An expanded translation into English of "Il sentimento paralizzante del possibile. La vertigine della libertà in Kierkegaard e Sartre" (Mimesis, 2022), it combines the two things that readers love: crippling anxiety and super complicated philosophy."

LUIGI DELUCA (2003). During the past year, Dr. DeLuca has worked on his dissertation c/o the Department of French and Italian at UMD on the subject of la Commedia dell'Arte and its influence on French theater in the 17/18th centuries. He says that "The excitement and challenges have and continue to come from having to interpret old French and Italian dialects as well as Latin, Spanish and Catalan used in the interaction of the various personages. My classical education helps a lot." He continues to serve as a faculty member at the Center for Human Nutrition of the Department of International Health of Johns Hopkins University. He also is a research associate in the Department of Greek and Latin of Catholic University of America. (2025 Newsletter update).

BRENT HERNANDEZ (2003) is the Director of Graduate Student Services in the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has been named one of the first recipients of the new Terrapin Innovation Awards for leading the effort to complete the Holistic Graduate Admissions training module for the College Park campus. In his current position, Brent is the chief administrator for recruitment, admissions, diversity and inclusion, and academic services for graduate students. Previously he served as Director of Student Services in the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. He is working toward a Ph.D. in the Urban Education program of the department of Teaching, Learning, Policy, and Leadership in the School of Education. (2024 Newsletter update)

ANDREA MCNULTY (2003). For our 2023 Newsletter, Andrea wrote: "After earning my MA in Classical Studies with an emphasis on women in antiquity in 2003, I have been able to fuse my passion for feminist studies and social justice into a career of being a therapist. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Philadelphia who provides psychotherapy, counseling, consultation, and clinical supervision. I currently work for the School District of Philadelphia providing therapy and case management to children and families, as well as supporting the implementation of trauma-informed practices. My experience in studying the classics has been integral to fostering my curiosity, empathy, critical thinking, and the integration of research/best practices into my work."

BRIAN VUOLO (2002). As a 2002 MA graduate of our program, Brian Vuolo taught Latin for nine years at a series of high schools in Severn and Baltimore, Maryland before going on to study for a Masters in Accounting at Towson University.  At the Cardinal Gibbons School he was also the foreign language department chair; at the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland he increased enrollment in Latin by 119% and wrote five textbooks for the eighth through twelfth grade Latin curriculum.

Brian writes: “Next fall I will start working for KPMG (an international consulting firm that provides audit, tax, and management services). I am really excited about that. All of the work in Latin, Greek and English preceding this change has been incredibly helpful. The most critical function of an accountant is in determining the substance of an economic transaction.  As you can imagine, it's not always obvious what exactly is happening. The training in semantics one gets in studying a written language is fully applicable/transferable to arguments in logic, and in discerning the principal element of an economic event.” 

ANN SNEESBY-KOCH (2001). Ann writes: "Since earning an MA in Classics in 2001, my career path has been very much influenced by the education and experience I received in the Department of Classics at the University of Maryland.   After graduating, I was hired as an editor at Ad Fontes, a publisher of full-text, searchable digital libraries of rare, historical documents from the 15th to 17th centuries, primarily written in Latin. 

My strong knowledge of Latin from my coursework at the University of Maryland was crucial to my work as an editor in which I translated manuscripts in order to index them for theological and social/political topics.  Eventually acting as Managing Editor, I became proficient in XML and TEI-encoding, which to my mind, at least, has its own vocabulary and grammar.  The knowledge of Latin grammar instilled during my time as a graduate student was vital to my understanding and application of XML tagging and TEI metadata standards.  It was from this experience that I developed a keen interest in making special collections and otherwise inaccessible primary materials accessible, especially in digital formats, and gained valuable insight into the importance of access to culturally and historically significant source documents for supporting humanities scholarship. 

To this end, I enrolled in the Masters of Information Sciences program at the University of Tennessee concentrating on academic humanities librarianship, particularly digital humanities. I also had the opportunity to participate in a practicum at the Folger Shakespeare Library, where my Latin served me in good stead, and another practicum at the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Besides the content of my classes in classical literature and history at UMD, the academic research skills I developed as a graduate student were invaluable to coursework I completed to earn my MS degree in December 2012.   

At present, I am a “Humanities Administrator” in the Office of Digital Humanities at the NEH, working on a digitization project that will make available to the public historic grant records from the establishment of the Endowment to 1979.  I hope to continue working in digital humanities in my new career in librarianship, and I very sincerely believe that my study of the Classics not only informs my professional activities, but will enormously enrich the work I do."

JOHN VALTER (2001). John writes: "After graduation from Georgetown University with an M.A. in Arab Studies, I began working in the IT field first as a technical writer and later as a programmer. In the summer of 1991 I was managing a team of technical writers and trainers and was putting in a lot of hours that left me feeling drained both emotionally and intellectually. My world revolved around work and I was stuck in a rut; even my free time was spent out with colleagues talking about work!

I had always enjoyed Latin as a high school student and as an undergraduate, and so on a whim I applied to the M.A. program with a concentration in Latin at the University of Maryland. Since I worked full time, I could only take one course a semester. My whim turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I've ever made. At one course a semester it took me five years to complete the program, but I enjoyed every minute of it. In fact, at the end of the five years I returned and worked another five years on Greek.

During that time I discovered the faculty and staff of the Classics Department to be some of the most wonderful people I've met. They were always willing to accommodate me as a "non-traditional" graduate student, yet at the same time they didn't relax their professional standards. The result was that I got the same quality education as those students who completed the M.A. degree in two years. In addition, my resume has attracted attention in that it's unusual for someone in the IT field to have an M.A. in Latin, Greek, or Classical Studies. I was once called into a job interview solely because the project manager was overcome with curiosity. After the interview I was offered the position. During my interview for my current position, the interviewer talked at length about how important she thought Latin was to a good education and how much she had enjoyed it in high school. I had to change the topic in order to find out what the job actually entailed.

One can therefore conclude that my years in the Classics Department at the University of Maryland have rewarded me both intellectually and financially. In the years that have passed since leaving the university I often think back on the teachers and the courses with fond memories and a sense of pride that I accomplished what I had set out to do."

DREW WILBURN (1998). Dr. Wilburn is a Professor of Classics at Oberlin College. For our 2023 Newsletter, he wrote: “I will be teaching in London during fall 2023 as part of the Danenberg Oberlin in London Program. Each year two Oberlin faculty members from different departments take 25 students to London for a semester.”

E. DEL CHROL (1997). Dr. Chrol writes: "My two years at UMD in Classics were some of the most difficult and rewarding of my life.  On the one hand, I received a thorough renovation of my Greek and Latin, a renovation that prepared me for doctoral work; on the other, I was trained to teach, and I have achieved great success pursuant to that training, namely 14 teaching awards and multiple teaching positions.  Maryland Classics prepared me for my future career, taught me the importance of hard work and the relevance of our field for the modern world, and introduced me to friends and colleagues I have kept close to this day.

After graduating with my M.A. in 1997, I taught Latin, History and Public Speaking at The Academy of Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland.  I also taught in the Honors Program of George Washington University and at University of Maryland.  From 1999-2006 I pursued my Ph.D. at the University of Southern California where I did a dissertation entitled “Countercultural Responses to the Crisis of Elite Masculinity in Late Republican Rome”.  During my time there I also excavated at Despotiko, Greece for two summers, taught English to Students of Other Languages, and picked up Olympic-style Fencing.  In 2006 I took a position at Marshall University in Huntington, WV.  In the past seven years, I helped found the Sexuality Studies program, earned tenure, and am now chair of both the Department of Classics and of the Sexuality Studies program.  We have our own M.A. program, and we are modifying our curriculum to be more like Maryland’s.  Maryland Classics’ M.A. program was intense but essential to my career."

HEATHER VINCENT (1996). Dr. Vincent is an Associate Professor in Classics at Eckerd College. For our 2019 Newsletter, she wrote: “I have assumed a new role at Eckerd College as Associate Dean of Faculty for General Education. I'm continuing to serve as the Honors Program director as well. In my new position, I'll continue to teach, but primarily I will oversee the various components of General Education at Eckerd. A significant part of my duties will include directing the first-year Core program called "Human Experience", a course designed to help first-year students ask the ‘big questions’ about the nature of knowledge, truth, citizenship, and empathy."

ROBERT GALLAGHER (1993). For our 2019 Newsletter, Robert sent us word that he has published a book, Aristotle’s Critique of Political Economy with a Contemporary Application, with a foreword by David Konstan (London: Routledge, 2018). For the 2023 Newsletter, he let us know that he published an article, “The Decline in Reciprocity in Ethiopia” in the journal Archiv für Rechts-und Sozialphilosophie in 2022.

TOM HAYES (1991) shared the following update for our 2020 Newsletter: “After leaving Maryland, and the PG schools, I taught Latin for another 22 years, first in Connecticut and then on the north shore of Long Island. I retired from secondary teaching in 2015 with 28 years under my belt, but continued in a program I had instituted at the local community college. My first year of retirement took me to Italy four times, including a mind-bending NEH seminar on the Etruscans. I also started teaching Latin, as well as a Roman literature workshop, to adults in the local OLLI (lifelong learning) program, and working in my pottery workshop.”