Graduates from the Department of Classics share the diverse pathways they have taken since leaving King's.
George Ellis, Financial Analyst
"I graduated from King’s in 2014, and have worked in Finance since. Currently I am the Group Financial Analyst for a luxury hotel chain, and prior to this I worked for an American Hedge Fund. I find my job very rewarding, as it involves a great mixture of high-level and theoretical analysis balanced alongside delivering concrete solutions to real stakeholders.
During my time at King’s I was elected President of the Classics Society. In addition to being a highly enjoyable role, this experience was an excellent touchstone in job applications, demonstrating an entrepreneurial attitude and an interest in refining the strategy underpinning an organisation. My degree itself was also viewed favourably by employers as it shows versatility, academic rigour, and an analytical skillset. I would strongly advocate keeping an ambitious and open mind when applying for graduate jobs, as a Classics-related degree leaves almost all routes open."
Sabrina Mahfouz, Writer
"Studying Classics at King’s allowed me to get involved in the annual Greek Play – an Ancient Greek play performed in Ancient Greek. We did Hippolytus and though I was only part of the chorus, it was instrumental in giving me the confidence to go on stage in challenging circumstances, very helpful in my eventual career as a writer and performer! The literature element of the course has been hugely influential in the theatre work, poetry, librettos and fiction I’ve written and currently I’m working on a new translation of Prometheus Bound – which will feature fire artists, of course. Being in the capital city allowed me to experience the most contemporary theatre and literature events around whilst simultaneously studying and analysing some of the oldest. This was a great benefit, as it confirmed to me that there is no singular ‘right way’ to write or perform a story and storytelling belongs to everyone."
Anastasia Christou, Teacher
Studying Classics at King’s inspired Alumna Anastasia Christou to champion the subject in Hong Kong, where learning classical languages, notably Ancient Greek and Latin, is rare.Anastasia graduated with a first-class honours degree in Ancient History in 2008 and a Classics PGCE in 2010, and has since gone on to lead and expand Classics departments and programmes at Secondary Schools in London and Hong Kong.
“The expertise and enthusiasm of my lecturers at King’s spurred on my passion for Classics; to the extent that I wanted to pursue a profession that would allow me to keep learning the subject, but also one that would enable me to inspire and educate the next generation to appreciate the legacy of the Ancient Greeks and Romans and to realise that classical languages are immortal not dead!
“The skills that I developed during my undergraduate degree have also helped me during my professional adult life, such as conducting academic research; citing and referencing; extensive writing; working towards deadlines; time management; and team work.”