You don’t have to speak English to ask Phillip Alexander Caprara about winning a Beinecke Scholarship. He’s also fluent in French and Spanish, has advanced proficiency in Italian, speaks some German and Chinese and is a scholar of ancient Latin and Greek.
You don’t have to speak English to ask Phillip Alexander Caprara about winning a Beinecke Scholarship. He’s also fluent in French and Spanish, has advanced proficiency in Italian, speaks some German and Chinese and is a scholar of ancient Latin and Greek.
Caprara, a junior from Vanceboro, credits an Honors Carolina seminar on Greek and Roman epics for sparking his interest in the classics. He then started learning Greek on his own before taking classes at Carolina. He has also studied Latin, covering four semesters of grammar in just two. He took Spanish in high school and is currently taking Chinese lessons. He is primarily self-taught in the other languages.
The Beinecke Scholarship, from the Sperry Fund of Fogelsville, Pa., recognized Caprara’s impressive achievements with a $34,000 award to attend graduate school in the arts, humanities or social sciences. He is one of 20 students nationwide to win the award. Caprara, a classics major with a double minor in philosophy and history, hopes to pursue similar programs of study at prestigious universities in the United States and abroad.
“For too long, classicists have left untouched the concepts of ancient science that pervade Greek and Latin texts, believing literature and science to be mutually exclusive,” said Caprara. “I hope to bridge this divide with my research and show my colleagues that ancient science isn’t limited to Aristotle or Hippocrates.”
Caprara’s talents extend beyond the classroom. He’s a nationally ranked ballroom dancer and a member of UNC’s ballroom team. He also volunteers as a dance instructor for high school students.
“Alex Caprara is an extraordinary young man whose scholarly commitment to study the classics is as notable as his accomplishments as a competitive ballroom dancer,” said Linda Dykstra, director of the Office of Distinguished Scholarships. “The Beinecke Scholarship matches his interests perfectly, allowing him to pursue his academic expertise at the graduate level.”
A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Johnston Scholar, Caprara is a teaching and research assistant in the department of philosophy. He has studied ancient works of literature at Oxford University and hopes to become a professor.
More information about the Beinecke Scholarship: http://foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/beinecke/index.html
Office of Distinguished Scholarships contact: Linda Dykstra, (919) 843-7757, ldykstra@unc.edu, http://distinguishedscholarships.unc.edu
News Services contact: Tanya Moore, (919) 962-4515, tanya_moore@unc.edu