When in Rome ...
Gillian Pinkham
Gillian Pinkham '15
Whether she's exploring the ruins of an ancient Italian village, cataloging ancient coins or traveling solo for months across Europe, Gillian Pinkham '15 brings passion and scholarship to her work. Here, she discusses her study-abroad internship, her favorite Google image-search site, her ideal dinner guest and more.
Major:
Classical studies and art & art history.
Clubs and organizations:
Global ambassador, Classics Major Committee, Alpha Lambda Delta and Eta Sigma Phi.
Honors/scholarships/awards:
Christopher Roberts Study Abroad Travel Prize and Christopher Roberts Endowed Scholarship in the Humanities.
On choosing a major:
I knew that I wanted to be an art-history major after taking a class in high school. My classics major, on the other hand, was unplanned. I had been studying Latin and Roman history since middle school, and continued in high school and at Dickinson because of my language requirements. By the time my Dickinson language requirement was fulfilled, I realized that classics had become my greatest academic passion.
On studying abroad:
I studied abroad in Rome my junior year. The highlight of the semester was visiting the Villa of Oplontis, a Roman villa that had been buried by the Vesuvius eruption that also covered Pompeii. It was so well preserved, and the wall paintings were amazing. Definitely worth a Google image search!
Favorite professor:
Professor [of Classical Studies Marc] Mastrangelo is one of my favorite professors. I am always blown away by his seemingly endless knowledge and great sense of humor.
About my current internship:
Right now I am working as a research assistant for Professor [of Art History Melinda] Schlitt. We are working to create a series of essays on the visual legacy of Virgil’s Aeneid. This project is an awesome synthesis of my two majors, and the research is a lot more in-depth than anything I've done before. I'm also learning about new research resources for art historians and classicists.
On interning at home and abroad:
While I was studying abroad, I had an internship in the archaeological-study collection at the American Academy in Rome, researching and cataloging ancient coins. This summer I also had an internship at Danforth Art Museum in Massachusetts, where I helped re-catalog their permanent collection.
If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be ...
Caesar! I have so many questions for him about the end of the Republic.
Proudest accomplishment (so far):
After high school, I took a gap year and traveled solo around Europe for nine months. It was the hardest and most rewarding thing I have done.
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Published January 30, 2015