Camila Lashbrook ’23
Meet the Majors
Other clubs, sports and activities you’d like to mention:
Handbell Choir
Describe your major completely incorrectly.
Constantly discovering new and unexpected things from narratives that are over 2000 years old. You would think that certain storytelling elements would have been spoiled for me by now, but I’m always surprised by something.
What would you do with your major if you knew you could not fail?
Assuming that time travel is out of the picture, I would create fictional worlds that incorporate all the knowledge I’ve learned about the ancient Mediterranean so far, plus all the knowledge I’ve yet to gain and everything that’s been lost. My favorite way to conceptualize what I’m studying is to reimagine it creatively—which also hopefully invites other people to think curiously and critically about the past—although it’s certainly challenging!
What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share about your time at Smith?
Don’t be afraid to be wrong. Making mistakes only means that you have more to learn. It’s beautiful to change and grow as a person, expand your perspective, and realize that there are so many more paths in front of you than you even knew existed.
It’s beautiful to change and grow as a person, expand your perspective, and realize that there are so many more paths in front of you than you even knew existed.
Who was your favorite professor and what did you most like about their style of teaching?
In my classes with Professor Rebecca Worsham, I’ve come to really understand the value of classical studies. Often, it seems like learning about the ancient past is not relevant enough to our modern-day lives to justify making it a central part of your education. But, if we do it right, classical studies can be about engaging empathy, exercising imagination, and critically examining the ways in which our variously limited experiences impact the way we view others. In fact, these skills are deeply relevant to how we move about in the world today.
Professor Worsham’s projects provide flexibility and encourage individual creativity, which have helped me establish personal connections with the material I’ve studied. Through her teaching, I’ve more fully realized the immense importance of highlighting overlooked and underrepresented aspects of ancient history, as well as sharing educational tools with wider audiences effectively.