Caroline Calloway ’20 majored in English and minored in Modern Greek Studies.
Why did you decide to minor in Modern Greek Studies?
While I am not Greek myself, I have extended family that are part Greek, so I grew up seeing pictures and hearing stories about Spetses, which also happens to be the island that the LMU Odyssey Program goes to during the Summer Sessions. I enrolled in Elementary Modern Greek partly to fulfill my Honors Program language requirement and partly because I wanted to practice speaking with my cousin. When I found out about the Odyssey program, I knew I had to become a minor.
What did you study in the program?
In addition to studying Modern Greek language, I was able to take two classes while abroad in Greece. One focused on Modern Greek identity and how the country created a national narrative, while the other was a Modern Greek Scene Study class, in which I got to work on scenes from contemporary Greek plays. After going abroad, I had the opportunity to study the Greek Orthodox faith and tradition with Father John Bakas of Saint Sophia Cathedral.
How did the program’s Modern Greek Studies community impact your experience at LMU?
One of the coolest parts of the Odyssey Program was coming back to campus and being part of the community of students who had been on that trip. There were people from all class years and all majors, and I met people that I would have never met if I hadn’t gone abroad with them. We all spent a month living together in a different country, which allowed us all to become very close in a short amount of time.
What are you doing now, and what are your professional goals?
I graduated in May 2020. I applied for a Fulbright Research grant to Albania, which I am still waiting to hear back about. If I am awarded the fellowship, I will live in Albania for 9 months before applying to graduate school in either Creative Writing or Area Studies. Luckily many Albanians also speak Greek!
