Alumni News – Fall 2023
Meagan Ayers (’04; MA Mediterranean Archaeology ’06; PhD Buffalo) stopped by to tell us that she and husband Paul are relocating from Knoxville back to Cleveland, where Paul was offered a new job. Meagan continues her work as an editor for the Dickinson College Commentaries, where she edited Allen and Greenough’s New Latin Grammar, which we use in our classes. She also is a freelance copy editor for NYU’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. We are sorry to see Meagan and Paul go but will be sure to remain in touch.
Abigail Braddock Simone (’02) of Germantown HS in Memphis was elected to the cursus honorum that will make her president of TWLTA in 2025-26, the first classicist president of this group in 15 years. This is a wonderful recognition of your considerable talents and drive, Abigail!
Brian Byerly (’22), sought Bettye Beaumont (’74)’s help with his application materials for graduate school. Thanks to her excellent advice he has been accepted into MA programs at Georgia and Kansas; he chose Kansas and received full funding. Happy trails, Brian!
It was wonderful to catch up with Izzy Dusek (’22), who came to our Majors Meet & Greet on August 23. She is continuing the master’s program in public policy and administration at UT, and plans to graduate this spring. We can’t wait to hear what comes next.
David Guffey (’17) was accepted into the master’s program in social work at UT and he is loving every minute of it. Anyone who sees the glow in his eyes knows that he has found his calling in life. We are so happy for you, David, and we know that you will be an exceptionally caring social worker.
Andrew Montgomery (’22) stopped by to report that he has been bitten by the bug of academia. He has finished his MA in archaeology at the University of Edinburgh with a thesis focusing on the continuity of cult from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age in the Aegean. He is now exploring paths to pursuing a PhD in classical archaeology. We are thumbing for you, Andrew!
Juhi Patel (’19), who received a master’s degree in the history of medicine from the University of Newcastle while on a Fulbright year there, is now in her second year at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in South Carolina. This school trains globally-minded physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations. Juhi just returned from the Dominican Republic, where she and her fellow students provided medical care to more than 500 patients. We are so proud of you, Juhi!
Meera Patel (’18) graduated last December with a master’s degree in data science from American University, specializing in statistics and artificial intelligence. She taught an introductory undergraduate class in statistics at AU, and is working on projects that involve algorithms and archaeological data. Meera, you and Stephen Collins-Elliott need to talk!
Walt Price (’23) is pursuing an MA in ancient Mediterranean studies at the University of Missouri with full funding. Walt, please say hi for us to fellow alumnus Jacob Brakebill (’17)!
Zoe Smith (’22) reached out to Bettye Beaumont (’74) for advice, and she is now working for an archaeology firm in Cincinnati, where she is gaining valuable excavation and lab experience. Fiancé Tristan, an opera singer, is receiving job offers in Europe, so Zoe is looking for graduate programs in classical archaeology overseas where she can specialize in Aegean prehistory and learn more about the Mitanni and Hittites. We wish her the best of luck.
Kaitlyn Stiles (PhD Mediterranean Archaeology ’19) married Chris Jazwa, an associate professor of anthropology at UN Reno and Stephen Collins-Elliott’s collaborator in Morocco—archaeology is a small world! Kaitlyn moved to Reno, where she is continuing her research on the Mycenaean skeletons from Golemi, central Greece, which were the focus of her dissertation. She and Chris presented a poster at the annual AIA meeting in New Orleans last January on new strontium isotope analyses and C14 datings on samples from Golemi.
We were delighted to reconnect with Ryan Vinson (’11) who, as co-chair of the Tennessee Junior Classical League, helped to organize its 2023 convention in Knoxville. Ryan thoroughly enjoys his position. We are looking forward to seeing him more as we prepare to participate in the convention of the National Junior Classical League in Knoxville, in July 2024, which Ryan is chairing.
Cyrus Yoshimoto (’22) was awarded a prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship to study leadership and global affairs at Tsinghua University in Bejing in 2023-24 before going to medical school. This is a highly competitive scholarship with a 3-4% acceptance rate. Awardees come from top universities in the US and abroad. Cyrus credits his classics training and our scholarship support for helping him reach this success. We appreciate you, Cyrus, and we wish you a fascinating year in China!