My name is Lily Lesser and I’m a senior in the history department from Chappaqua, New York.
On campus, I am a member of the Princeton Triangle Club, the Equestrian Team, and the William Trego Singers. I have always loved books and learning more about what people think and feel, both now and in the past.
Two of my favorite courses I’ve taken in the humanities have been Imagined Languages (HUM 305) with Professors Katz and Gordin, and Empire and Catastrophe (HIS 428) with Professor Shawcross.
I am a history major getting certificates in Humanistic Studies, Medieval Studies and Roman Language and Culture. I chose to be a History major because I am fascinated by the way in which the worldview and beliefs of people in the past was different from our own and how those differences prompted people in the past to make decisions that we might not make today. I am primarily interested in medieval history, hence the Medieval Studies Certificate; I also love the Latin language and Latin literature and Latin language skills are also useful in doing medieval research. The Humanities Sequence instilled in me a sense of the importance of interdisciplinary work in fully understanding any time period, and that is why I chose to be in the Humanistic Studies Certificate Program.
The history department requires juniors to write two JPs, each of which must be involved with a different time period and geographic area. In the fall, in conjunction with a junior seminar on Winston Churchill, I wrote my first JP on Winston Churchill and the Yalta Conference, and in the spring I plan to write a JP on a political figure or event in late medieval France or Britain, likely with a focus on an international issue.
My sophomore year over fall break I went on the HUM sequence trip to Greece. This trip was fully funded by the Council of the Humanities and Hellenic Studies, and we travelled around Athens and the Peloponnese visiting ancient sites and learning more about them. On our final day in Athens, we each did independent research on topics we formulated before leaving for Greece. In addition, during this coming spring break in conjunction with a Latin class I will be visiting Italy.
I am a member of the Princeton Triangle Club, which produces student-written musical comedies and has its larger show in November each year in McCarter and a smaller spring show in April in Whitman Theater.
