Alae Mercurii Volume 10 Winter Edition | Page 11

Ambitious Romans

Deafening. I could not hear the person next to me, who was trying to explain to me the schedule of the next several days. It didn’t really matter to me at the time, seeing as how my eyes were riveted on the massive horde of people waiting to file into the auditorium.

Togas. Team Shirts. Costumes. People were dressed in everything and anything, representing their schools with a pure, overjoyed pride. School banners were hoisted up bravely, and they rose above the heads of the crowd with growing shouts of enthusiasm. The competitive cheers of each opposing group of JCLers only seemed to bring the rival schools closer together. Friends hugged: some reuniting, some meeting for the very first time. One would be hard pressed to find this sort of experience anywhere else, this palpable spirit of fellowship, this visible spark of excitement.

But the really amazing thing was, the Georgia State Convention hadn’t even started yet.

That’s right. The first General Assembly was still in the near future, and all I could do was stare, slightly dumfounded, at this phenomenon, that somehow I made myself a part of.

Quite simply, this was how I fell in love with Latin. It is this simple motivation that has pushed me to my limits, which has push my entire Chapter to its limits. This year, we are going in strong. In order to prep for State, we’re assigning JCL officers to different study groups to help prepare for Academic Tests. I myself will also be presenting how to approach different Creative and Graphic Arts contests at State. A simple strategy, but one that we hope will work in the long run. I just can’t wait to see the dumb founded expressions of those who are going to State for the first time- because even if State itself hasn’t actually started yet, the love for Latin already has.

and myself, it actually emerged after seeing the community engage with each other. During my first year of JCL I remember looking out at the crowd of Fall Forum and Convention and realizing everyone could fit in somewhere if not everywhere. Trivia whizzes whirred away at the Certamen machines; artists that rivaled Zeuxis sketched out Roman legends, and orators eloquently articulated various Latin passages. Others strummed away at a guitar (Wonderwall), some engaged in the true convivial spirit of Rome at the dances (Darude Sandstorm), and others soared politically (I remember watching Ashley winning Hostess and instantly was instantly enamored.) Seeing all of this made me realize that no matter what your passion was, there was a way to express it through the JCL. I found that the passion exhibited by each JCLer for his or her own individual talent invigorated me, which then encouraged me to work on my own talents and express myself.

Bear with me; my heart is in Rock Eagle there with Convention, and I must pause a moment till I come back to it.

~Chris ParliamenCherian

so nerdy could be at all enjoyable. I could never have predicted that taking Latin seemingly so nerdy could be at all enjoyable. I could never have predicted that taking Latin and going to convention would open so many doors to improving leadership skills and forming friendships.

As vice-president, Praetoria has been my favorite endeavor thus far. Getting to know all the representatives was awesome, and working with Ashley is always delightful! Everyone actively listened to the informational presentations and fully engaged in brainstorming. I was impressed by many of the ideas and by the respectful environment the attendees maintained while discussing. Since Praetoria, I have been working on creating pre-made publicity forms that should make it easier to keep up with the publicity contest. I also hope to create a welcoming package of sorts to recruit schools with Latin programs into the GJCL, which would be sent out by the successive board. I hope that the current board’s contributions will be felt long after we are gone.

Semper,

Dong Yoon Jang

What famous would I have dinner with? Adam Levine before he shaved his hair. Mainly because I really enjoy music and he's pretty dang good at it.

has pushed me to my limits, which has push my entire Chapter to its limits. This year, we are going in strong. In order to prep for State, we’re assigning JCL officers to different study groups to help prepare for Academic Tests. I myself will also be presenting how to approach different Creative and Graphic Arts contests at State. A simple strategy, but one that we hope will work in the long run. I just can’t wait to see the dumb founded expressions of those who are going to State for the first time- because even if State itself hasn’t actually started yet, the love for Latin already has.

Sincerely,

Hannah Marier