Lukas Odenius

  

Volume 9 | Issue I | March 2025

St Paul’s School ’26

New Hampshire, USA

  

My love for Classics began when I read the Percy Jackson series in Third Grade, which opened my eyes to the world of Greek and Roman mythology. As such, I was inspired to begin taking Latin in 7th Grade and additionally take on Attic Greek in 10th Grade. After being exposed to Classics, it was only natural that I would delve into the ideas of the great philosophers of Antiquity, causing me to stumble upon Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations and the teachings of the Stoics. My fascination with Stoicism began due to its practicality and application in real-world scenarios, which caused me to wonder how it could be applied in the modern day. The topic of patriotism is something that is often discussed in the present, particularly in the United States, prompting me to wonder about how the Stoics view the topic. Therefore, I began researching this fairly niche but very impactful academic interest of mine, leading me to the creation of my research paper for The Schola. The high expectations of the journal and the rigorous revise and resubmit process allowed me to delve more deeply into my topic and make connections that I otherwise would not have. The entirety of this process has made me even more devoted to Classics and philosophy as academic interests, and I cannot wait to see where these passions of mine take me next. In terms of my extracurriculars, I love playing the guitar and Nordic skiing in my free time.