You can do so many different things with a Classical Studies major/minor at Trinity College. Here’s a great example of that: Classical Studies minor Ardyn Allessie (’19), with the support of Prof. Lauren Caldwell, used her experiences in Classical Studies courses when she interned with the law firm Messing & Spector LLC in the summer of 2018. This is her experience in her own words:

“In the summer of 2018, I had the pleasure of interning for Noah Messing, a full-time member of the faculty at Yale Law School and founding partner of the law firm Messing & Spector LLC. Professor Lauren Caldwell in the Department of Classical Studies at Trinity had given my name to Noah, who was seeking an undergraduate with good research and writing skills for summer work in his firm. Professor Caldwell recommended me for the attention to detail I had shown in taking Latin at Trinity and serving as a teaching assistant for Latin 101 and 102.

During my internship, I was there to help Noah with whatever he needed. From designing business cards to renewing bar memberships, I was his right hand. Noah traveled often, so we decided that it would make the most sense for me to work remotely. He is based out of Yale, in New Haven, Connecticut and I worked from New York City. Noah’s law office is in Midtown, so I had to go there a few times as well. I enjoyed the new experience of remote working, as the concept had never previously crossed my mind.

The summer internship allowed me to put into practice time management skills, organizational skills, attention to detail, self-discipline when no one was watching over me, and an ongoing virtual dialogue with my boss. Noah also taught me the importance of a constant communication to make sure that we were on the same page, and the importance of asking clarifying questions even though I was a bit intimidated.

The workload itself came from all angles. One day I would be helping Noah join the Bar of the Federal Court of Claims; the next day I was scheduling appointments to get a new water pump in his car; the following day I was researching metrics on used car sales. I even researched class actions relative to labor laws, California advisory opinions — and I also found all Japanese restaurants with one or more Michelin stars!

Given the wide variety of the tasks Noah asked me to complete, I needed to learn to always think outside the box and keep an open mind. I gained the confidence to tackle topics I have never heard of or knew nothing about.

The bottom line is that through my internship, I sharpened my communication and research skills and gained a new sense of confidence in my abilities. Most importantly I gained an amazing mentor for life in Noah Messing.”