A Dead Language Comes in Handy
How did Rebekah Altdoerffer end up in Athens, Greece, during the second semester of her sophomore year? By, as she puts it, “being a dork.”
“I was a dork who decided to take Latin all four years of high school,” says the senior public relations and communication major. “So when I decided I wanted to make the most of my college life by traveling abroad, I was already interested in the classics. Greece made sense.”
She worked with Capital’s International Education Office to arrange the trip, and soon the native of East Liverpool, Ohio, found herself hitting the books amid the sea, sun and classical ruins of Athens.
“I took 12 hours of classes – elementary and modern day Greek along with a science and society class taught by a doctor who helped establish the European Union’s environmental regulations.”
It wasn’t all work, she admits; Rebekah was able to schedule all of her classes into 12-hour blocks on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She spent the remaining four days each week traveling to places like the Parthenon. She also met her current boyfriend, an American who has now graduated from a college in Virginia.
Upon her return, Rebekah realized how much she could contribute to the classroom.
“I’m learning what I already experienced,” she says. “We talk about the Parthenon – been there. Greek history? Saw it. It gives you a whole different perspective.”
That’s not to say Greece defined her whole college experience. She has completed two internships – one with a local newspaper and one in Capital’s Public Relations Office – and is president of Capital’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).
“The small-school environment makes all the difference, especially in a large city like Columbus,” Rebekah says. “I’ve had the opportunity to do amazing things on- and off-campus. I couldn’t be happier with the education I’ve earned.”