The Classics Department is proud
to introduce our first alumna reportans:
Kim Fischer '06, pursued a double major in Classics and
Political Science at Saint Michael's. She is now in her second year of law school at the
University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. Kim lives with her twin
sister, Elaine Fischer '06, who is working on a Ph.D. in Political
Science at the University of Denver.
Kim writes a reflection on her
time at Saint Michael's:
My choice to major in Classics was due to the language requirement
… I remember the first day of Latin class as though it were
yesterday. Dr. Begley just asked question after question, responding
to each answer given by a student with another question—not telling us if
we were right or wrong, but letting us figure that out for ourselves
through this series of Q and A. Dr. Begley made the language fun—a
sentence was a big puzzle waiting for us to piece together
accurately, guided by his questions.
Dr. Begley suggested that I go to Rome the summer following my
junior year to study under a world-famous Latinist, Reginaldus
Foster. It was a trip and class of a lifetime. Reginaldus is an
amazing man who demanded that we speak in Latin—whoever says Latin
is a dead language is sorely mistaken. We had class six days a week
and on the seventh day would travel the beautiful countryside,
going to such places as Horace’s home, Julius Caesar’s grave, and
Cicero’s birthplace. There is no faster, more exciting way to learn
Latin…
Today, I apply what I have learned from studying Latin to
everything—to writing an essay or speaking in public, to my law
school classes, to teaching a group of disadvantaged young girls how
to play basketball, to searching for my car keys that I have
“accidentally misplaced,” to life in general. The world, like a
Latin sentence, is filled with mysteries and splendor that you can
sometimes only realize through meticulous observation. Only when you
see how every single piece works in connection with every other and
in unison with the whole, can you appreciate anything.
During the year following my graduation from Saint Michael's, I
worked at a small law firm as a paralegal in Boulder, Colorado. My
boss demanded things be done in his particular way, everyday. Details,
details, details. Details matter in the law profession—everything
you file with the court must be precise, accurate, timely, and
encompass all the legal elements necessary for your case. Failing to
do any of these can change your client’s life. My boss, like my
Latin professors, demanded that I pay attention to the small stuff
all the while remaining focused on the overall picture.
I am 100 percent sure that the education and training I received at
Saint Michael's helped me keep my job that first year, but more
importantly, it helped me get into my number one choice law school.
Translating or writing Latin and answering a law school exam are in
every respect the same. I ask myself the same questions when
approaching both—where do I begin? What elements do I need? How can
I creatively arrange my answer? How can I emphasize certain points?
How does it all fit together?
I began at Saint Michael’s unsure of the world, unsure of what I
wanted to do, even of who I was. The classes I took, the professors
I have met, the journeys I have taken, and the friends I made
changed all that. I love what I’m doing now, and know that my
happiness today, and any success I may have in the future is a
direct outcome of my Classics training, and the overall experience I
had during my four short years at Saint Michael's. Choosing the
college and choosing Latin to fulfill my liberal arts requirement,
continue to be two of the best decisions of my life.
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