Bryce Deskins '15
At the National Junior Classical League convention, Bryce Deskins '15 was awarded the Chester Tylinski Scholarship ($1250) which is a reflection of his many achievements in the Latin program at St. Andrew's.
According to the NJCL page, the scholarship, "is awarded to a student who has demonstrated the qualities that made Mr. Tylinski an incredible guide and mentor to many. These qualities were his inspiring leadership, unwavering commitment to academic excellence, and genuine compassion and willingness to help others achieve their own dreams without any expectation in return." Bryce was featured with other NJCL scholarship winners in the NJCL’s Torch magazine on page 7. Bryce took some time to fill us in on his recent accomplishment and his life as a Classics major at Rice University.
How did you feel when you found out you won the Tylinski scholarship?
Winning this scholarship was an incredible honor. Having attended nationals for the last 4 years, I know how worthy so many of the students there are of winning such a scholarship, so finding out that I won it was incredible. It meant so much to me to find out that the organization that I was so involved in during high school thought so highly of me in return.
How will you use the scholarship prize?
I’m using it for my college education.
How has your St. Andrew's education prepared you for college?
The college counseling at St. Andrew’s is phenomenal. It is so much more than just writing recommendations. After acceptances started coming in, I thought things would be mostly over, but in advisory we continually talked about how to adjust to life in college: roommate tips, studying tips, and other transitional tips. All the teachers are also extremely supportive and helpful about transitioning to college. As time went on, many teachers started to model classes and assignments after what we might experience in college so that we would not enter school in August completely confused.
What inspired you to pursue Classics at Rice?
The St. Andrew’s Latin program and all of the opportunities it provided me. My teachers and Certamen coaches (Mr. Rist, Mr. Michaud, Ms. Luongo, and Ms. Dill) were always so passionate and engaged in what they were teaching, and when being taught with that level of passion it is hard not to fall in love with the material yourself. Additionally, all the opportunities available through Latin Club (JCL events) are extremely fun and the people are all so kind and talented. Being around so much passion and love for the Latin language makes it very hard not to fall in love with it yourself.
What advice would you give other students considering studying Latin?
Never let the negative things that people might say about majoring in Classics change your mind. Whenever people ask you what you’re thinking about studying and you say Classics, they usually look at you funnily and say something like “Well what will you do with that?” The skills you gain from a solid Classics education cannot be lauded enough. Even if you don’t want to go into academia or teach in high school, the foundation you build studying the Classics can help you in any other field. A Classics education teaches you how to think intelligently and communicate those ideas effectively through the written and spoken word. Anyone who says those skills aren’t useful is deluding themselves.
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How did you feel when you found out you won the Tylinski scholarship?
Winning this scholarship was an incredible honor. Having attended nationals for the last 4 years, I know how worthy so many of the students there are of winning such a scholarship, so finding out that I won it was incredible. It meant so much to me to find out that the organization that I was so involved in during high school thought so highly of me in return.
How will you use the scholarship prize?
I’m using it for my college education.
How has your St. Andrew's education prepared you for college?
The college counseling at St. Andrew’s is phenomenal. It is so much more than just writing recommendations. After acceptances started coming in, I thought things would be mostly over, but in advisory we continually talked about how to adjust to life in college: roommate tips, studying tips, and other transitional tips. All the teachers are also extremely supportive and helpful about transitioning to college. As time went on, many teachers started to model classes and assignments after what we might experience in college so that we would not enter school in August completely confused.
What inspired you to pursue Classics at Rice?
The St. Andrew’s Latin program and all of the opportunities it provided me. My teachers and Certamen coaches (Mr. Rist, Mr. Michaud, Ms. Luongo, and Ms. Dill) were always so passionate and engaged in what they were teaching, and when being taught with that level of passion it is hard not to fall in love with the material yourself. Additionally, all the opportunities available through Latin Club (JCL events) are extremely fun and the people are all so kind and talented. Being around so much passion and love for the Latin language makes it very hard not to fall in love with it yourself.
What advice would you give other students considering studying Latin?
Never let the negative things that people might say about majoring in Classics change your mind. Whenever people ask you what you’re thinking about studying and you say Classics, they usually look at you funnily and say something like “Well what will you do with that?” The skills you gain from a solid Classics education cannot be lauded enough. Even if you don’t want to go into academia or teach in high school, the foundation you build studying the Classics can help you in any other field. A Classics education teaches you how to think intelligently and communicate those ideas effectively through the written and spoken word. Anyone who says those skills aren’t useful is deluding themselves.
