Angela (Barry) Webster '00
"One can easily demonstrate that a degree in a Classical language is so varied that it lends itself to almost any industry and any challenge."
I found my love for Classics early, in a 6th grade Latin class, and I never once thought of losing access to the wonders of the ancient world. So once at Wellesley, I immediately enrolled in additional Latin classes and took up Greek--loved every minute.
I had another passion, however, and that was France and the beauty of its language. I was drawn to it, such that I just HAD to spend my Junior year of college studying in Aix-en-Provence. The trick of studying abroad was that you needed to take credits in your major to keep on track to graduate, especially as I was attempting to graduate from Wellesley in three years. So I embarked on Latin-in-French classes. It was one of the more fascinating experiences of my year abroad. To see how a different culture approaches something that seems set in time, but yet constantly is evolving in our understanding, was fascinating. Not in the least because they found my way of pronouncing the Latin hilariously funny, but also because we translated directly to a romance language, a language much more prominently impacted by Latin and the Romans. I also greatly enjoyed the company of a dedicated group of French students focused on a shared love, the Classics, which is a wonderfully fun type of person no matter what corner of the globe you are in!
After I graduated from Wellesley with the double major of Latin and French, managing to do it in three years, I worked a year in NYC. I then embarked on Law School, and became a litigator at two large firms in Chicago. One thing that helped my resume stand out in a stack was the major: Latin. It evoked comment after comment during interviews. I explained how Latin helped shape an analytical and well rounded brain ready to take on any challenge. It is the best combination of language, mathematical type logic, historical and sociological study, and literature. One can easily demonstrate that a degree in a Classical language is so varied that it lends itself to almost any industry and any challenge.
My current challenge is taking a break from the Law to raise my two children (3 and 15 months). This is by far the hardest thing I’ve done. But again, having a solid foundation in language and the ability to think analytically helps me explain the world to them. In my spare time I serve on the Board of a local Chorale, run its website and fundraise, as well as volunteer at my son’s co-operative preschool. I have yet to determine what I will do when I return to the work force in a couple or so years, but I know that with the broad foundation the Classics have given me, I really can do anything.