Thasos Athens, B.A. 2017

Attorney, O’Melveny & Myers LLP – Menlo Park, CA

2017 Major: Classical Studies; minors in Political Science and Philosophy

How has being a Classical Studies graduate from Duke helped shape you personally and/or professionally?

"I would not be the person I am today without my time with the Classical Studies department at Duke University. Not only did the analytic, synthetic, and linguistic reasoning skills I learned from my studies of the classics help my professional development and my study of the law (and they have done so greatly), but I strongly believe that I am a more well-rounded person intellectually on account of Duke Classical Studies. The faculty were—and, I have every reason to believe, are—consummately excellent educators and individuals. I cannot recommend Duke Classical Studies strongly enough!"

What advice would you give students in Duke's Classical Studies programs? 

"Don’t be afraid to take the language courses. I did my major in translation and only took a couple semesters of Latin for the general Trinity language requirement. In retrospect I really wish I would have taken more classes in the original languages. Unless you go into academia, chances are you will never have this opportunity for devoted study ever again — don’t be afraid to branch out a bit and give the more effort-intensive language classes a go."

Thasos Athens