Hello, I’m Alyssa Finfer! I’m a member of the Class of 2019 pursuing a concentration in Classics and certificates in Humanistic Studies and European Cultural Studies, and I’m from Bridgewater, New Jersey.
My study of the humanities at Princeton began my freshman year when I took HUM 216-219, an epic journey through many of the great works of western civilization. I loved reading texts from Plato to Vergil to Petrarch to Milton that responded to and engaged with each other over space and time, and I knew that I wanted to continue my studies in the classics, an interdisciplinary field where literature, history, art, and philosophy constantly interact with, shape, and challenge each other.
Besides the HUM sequence, one of my favorite courses at Princeton has been Vergil’s Aeneid with Professor Baraz (LAT 333), which included a spring break trip to Italy where we examined how landscape, topography, and Augustan material culture play a part in Vergil’s epic. I also enjoyed the 2016 HUM fall break trip to Greece with Professor Morison and Dr. Crown, where I studied how Hadrian’s Arch fits into the Athenian landscape, consulted the oracle at Delphi, and examined many other notable rocks.
Role(s) held in the Humanistic Studies Program:
Certificate Student, Student Mentor, Symposiarch
Activities on campus:
Publicity Director of Theatre Intime, co-founder of Classics Club, member of Lobster Club Improv Comedy
Honors:
Haarlow Prize (2015–16)
