Meet Your 2022-2023 National Officers

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By Katherine Panagakos on November 3, 2022.

2022-2023

Megale Prytanis
Elana Sanders-Braxton, Eta Zeta at Truman State University                                                                      (eks5241@truman.edu)

Salvete and χαίρετε! My name is Elana Sanders-Braxton, and I am currently a senior Classics major & Spanish minor at Truman State University. I was initiated into the Eta Zeta chapter of Eta Sigma Phi in the Fall of 2020, and now I have the privilege of leading Truman’s Classics Club. My passion for Classics began when I started taking Latin in 8th grade. From there, I fell in love with the language and all its intricacies, and that love continues to grow as I expand my studies into classical Greek! Since beginning my own journey with Latin, I’ve been asked time and time again: “out of everything, why Classics?” In an age where the value of classical studies seems to be forgotten, broadcasting the wonders of the ancient world to those who will listen is of great import. I’ve made it my own mission to help foster an appreciation for Classics however I can; hopefully someday the answer to “why Classics?” will be widely understood! As Megale Prytanis, my goal is to form and maintain lasting connections between the various chapters of Eta Sigma Phi while lifting up the voices of underrepresented classical scholars. In the same way, I hope to make our society more visible in the realm of classical studies and shed more light on all we do. Now, more than ever, we must remember and emphasize that Classics is for everyone. I look forward to seeing what great things we, as members of Eta Sigma Phi, accomplish together!

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Megale Hyparchos
Elyssa Witsken, Eta Delta at Hillsdale College
(ewitsken@hillsdale.edu)

Elyssa is a Classics major focusing mainly on Greek at Hillsdale College in Michigan. She has a considerable obsession with ancient ritual (but swears she doesn’t do it), Greek sculpture (she doesn’t deny practicing this), and lately archaeology (she excavated at a temple in Sparta this last summer). She is really enjoying translating the Iliad this semester, and is trying to not think of the fact that this is her last year to study Greek at Hillsdale.

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Megas Grammateus
Jonathan Rolfe, Eta Delta at Hillsdale College                                                                                          (jrolfe@hillsdale.edu)

Jonathan Rolfe is a sophomore majoring in Greek and Latin at Hillsdale College. He is a huge fan of J. R. R. Tolkien, and partly ascribes his own love of languages to him. Besides Latin and Greek, he also reads Old English and sometimes Gothic.

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Megas Chrysophylax
Jesus Castelan, Beta Psi at Rhodes College                                                                                      (casje-23@rhodes.edu)

Jesus is senior biomathematics major at Rhodes College (Beta Psi Chapter) in Memphis, TN.  He became interested in ancient Mediterranean studies when he began to read the New Testament in Greek.  Since doing that, he has dabbled in Euripides and Homer.  He enjoys learning new words and phrases in Greek.  He is currently learning Hebrew.