UWinnipeg Classics honours major Amiel Esmen has been awarded the Mosaic Scholarship in Classics from the Classical Association of Canada, the discipline’s national scholarly organization.
Esmen said he broke out of the stereotypical expectation for first generation Filipino immigrants to be in the medical field or engineering by choosing Classics. He has a particular interest in paleography, the study of ancient handwriting, manuscripts, and the deciphering and interpretation of historical writing systems.
He has the mind of a philologist and ever since the beginning of his language study he has been asking questions related to nuances of usage and syntax.
Dr. Melissa Funke
The main criterion for the Mosaic Scholarship is academic achievement, and Esmen has proven his great scholarly potential with his boundless academic curiosity and commitment to his classes.
“Amiel is a wonderful presence in the classroom, a thoughtful and reflective student, and an excellent reader of ancient Greek and Latin,” said Dr. Peter J. Miller, chair of Classics. “We couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Considered one of UWinnipeg’s most demanding majors, Esmen is working on mastering ancient languages including ancient Greek and Latin which are foundational to the degree. He is also concurrently pursuing an honours major in English.
“He has the mind of a philologist and ever since the beginning of his language study he has been asking questions related to nuances of usage and syntax,” said Dr. Melissa Funke.
Esmen is planning to pursue graduate studies in Classics to further his understanding of languages with a vision to build a bridge between ancient and modern languages.
“It may seem for many that the route that I have taken is antiquated, but I want to bridge the gap and engage with the modern languages,” said Esmen. “We need to connect the current scholarship to a level that is accessible to as many languages as possible. This sounds idealistic, but to push the scholarship this way allows the scope of what I am currently studying to be even more relevant.”
