Princeps • President
Ashley Samsone
Caesar • President
Originating from the depths of Southern Ontario, Ashley is in her second year at UBC and is interested in achieving a degree in classical or Near Eastern archaeology. As the resident history geek of her family, her interests of study range from pirates to any ancient civilization and any kind of mythology she can read about. Ashley hasn’t had the chance to participate in digs or travel to ancient sites yet, but she is excited about the opportunities that UBC provides in the Classical, Near Eastern and Religious department. When she does occasionally leave the libraries of UBC, you can easily find this kid working at a bookstore, joining in on animal advocacy, or enjoying her part time career acting on a stage.
Kevin Lam
Hey, so you want to know more about the VP Finance, eh? Well, my role is pretty straightforward. I manage all things financial for the student association such as writing the budget, facilitating deposits and reimbursements, as well as act as the official representative for bookings, and the liaison with the AMS.
If you’re wondering what I can do for you, I can help with fundraising and collaborations events with the CNERS SA. I can also help with the management of club sponsorships, donations, and merchandise! Feel free to direct your emails to cners.sa@gmail.com or any letters (which you can leave in out club mailbox in the CNERS Main Office) to me.
As for myself, I’m a 4th Year studying, you guessed it, Classical Studies. My main focus is in Classics with a budding interest in Papyrology and Epigraphy, but I’m also super interested in field archaeology. I’ve been to only one dig so far, but I do plan on going to more. Outside of the CNERS Department, I am pursuing a minor in Creative Writing. My focus there is on graphic forms, though I do also enjoy writing podcasts. So if you want someone to talk to about digs, comics, or anything sci-fi related, feel free to stop me in the hallways or come find me during our Pizza & Pub Nights!
Julia Perroni
Aedile • VP External
My name is Julia Perroni, and I’m a fourth year Classical Studies Major. I’m the CNERS SA’s VP External, which means that it’s my job to liaise between our SA and the AUS, go to AUS meetings, and generally represent our club and our events to the wider student body here at UBC. In my spare time, I’m a mostly-unpublished fiction author, and I work at a movie theatre!
Ask me about my time in Rome or Israel, my interest in Greek literature and myth, or my ongoing wrestling match with Ancient Greek verbs.
Jaymie Orchard
Caesar • President
Jaymie Orchard, originally from southern Ontario, is a fourth year Classics major. Although she started UBC in Sciences, after taking first year Latin and a few other Classical Studies courses she was hooked. As president no one really knows what she does, but she pretends to be important. All the same please feel free to email her if you have and CNERS SA related questions at jaymieorchard@gmail.com. You will likely find her either in Koerner library, her permanent place of residence, or in Buchanan, as she has yet to spend a day without getting lost there
Kevin Lam
Quaestor • VP Finance
Hey, so you want to know more about the VP Finance, eh? Well, my role is pretty straightforward. I manage all things financial for the student association such as writing the budget, facilitating deposits and reimbursements, as well as act as the official representative for bookings, and the liaison with the AMS.
If you’re wondering what I can do for you, I can help with fundraising and collaborations events with the CNERS SA. I can also help with the management of club sponsorships, donations, and merchandise! Feel free to direct your emails to cners.sa@gmail.com or any letters (which you can leave in out club mailbox in the CNERS Main Office) to me.
As for myself, I’m a 4th Year studying, you guessed it, Classical Studies. My main focus is in Classics with a budding interest in Papyrology and Epigraphy, but I’m also super interested in field archaeology. I’ve been to only one dig so far, but I do plan on going to more. Outside of the CNERS Department, I am pursuing a minor in Creative Writing. My focus there is on graphic forms, though I do also enjoy writing podcasts. So if you want someone to talk to about digs, comics, or anything sci-fi related, feel free to stop me in the hallways or come find me during our Pizza & Pub Nights!
Ashley Samsone
Praetor • VP Administration
Originating from the depths of Southern Ontario, Ashley is in her second year at UBC and is interested in achieving a degree in classical or Near Eastern archaeology. As the resident history geek of her family, her interests of study range from pirates to any ancient civilization and any kind of mythology she can read about. Ashley hasn’t had the chance to participate in digs or travel to ancient sites yet, but she is excited about the opportunities that UBC provides in the Classical, Near Eastern and Religious department. When she does occasionally leave the libraries of UBC, you can easily find this kid working at a bookstore, joining in on animal advocacy, or enjoying her part time career acting on a stage.
Julia Perroni
Aedile • VP External
My name is Julia Perroni, and I’m a fourth year Classical Studies Major. I’m the CNERS SA’s VP External, which means that it’s my job to liaise between our SA and the AUS, go to AUS meetings, and generally represent our club and our events to the wider student body here at UBC. In my spare time, I’m a mostly-unpublished fiction author, and I work at a movie theatre!
Ask me about my time in Rome or Israel, my interest in Greek literature and myth, or my ongoing wrestling match with Ancient Greek verbs.
Maaike Bos
Tribune • VP Internal
Maaike is a Classical Studies major going into her 4th year at UBC. She is the VP Internal in the CNERS SA, which is the liaison between the student association and the faculty in the department. She stumbled across the CNERS department when she took Latin 101 for fun in her first year and since then she has never looked back. Her love of history and ancient culture stems from her travels through Europe growing up, as well as from her grandmother who had a great passion for Roman history. In her spare time, Maaike enjoys running in the rain, reading and enjoying the full range of the Mcelroy family of podcasts. Feel free to ask her about how awesome Latin is and why you should take it!
Graham Butler
Legatus • Graduate Representative
I’m a 3rd year PhD student in the department’s Ancient History stream. My main research projects entail the comparative historical study of slavery in both ancient and modern contexts, Generally, I focus on how ancient Greek and Roman slavery differs from that of the 17th century through 19th century America’s both in practice and in ideology. As the graduate student representative/liaison I try to drag graduate students to SA-organized events. I can inform the graduate questions about graduate program sand applications. I am always happy to chat about slavery as well as about labour, inequality, and racial oppression.
Rodney Mackenzie
Caesar • President
Rodney is in his fourth year at UBC, studying Classical Archaeology. Originally from Vancouver Island, he grew up surrounded by some of the most breathtaking wonders nature has to offer, which had a clear effect on how he grew up. You may have heard of the term “lumbersexual”; this is a failed attempt to categorize Rodney in a way to properly understand the full scope of his rugged manliness. Rodney is a great lover of animals, perhaps understandable, as he himself is a force of nature. He has a particular affinity for dogs. Once he finished High School, Rodney decided to take a year off, to try and find something as manly as himself. After 7 years of fruitless search, he decided to take up Archaeology to see if someone comparable to himself had ever existed in the past. His quest is ongoing, so in the meantime he has taken up his rightful position as the humble leader of the CNERS Student Association. Ladies. You have his permission to swoon. Too bad for you though, this guy’s already taken.
Alexis Watts
Quaestor • VP Finance
Originally hailing from Ontario, Alexis moved to Vancouver to pursue a degree with UBC in Classical Studies! Going into 5th year Alexis is majoring in Classical & Near Eastern Archaeology and minoring in Political Science She loves all things financial and related to OrgSync, or at least everyone else here really hopes so. In her spare time she also travels and goes on archaeological digs in Sicily.
Sophie Mariano
Praetor • VP Administration
Sophie is a fourth year International Relations major, but was sucked into CNERS as a Classics minor due the general hilarity of Roman politics. She’s had some whirlwind travel experiences trekking all over Italy while in high school, but was too young and preoccupied with pasta to appreciate the history around her and she now dreams of going back to properly bask in the glory of ancient slabs of rock. On the rare chance that she escapes from the Koerner stacks, Sophie enjoys hiding from the rain in North Vancouver, where the sheer density of tree coverage not only keeps her dry, but relatively warm, too. Other hobbies include being mediocre at video games, yoga, and frolicking with her three cats.
Megan Barbieri
Aedile • VP External & Student Life
Megan Barbieri, a girl from the distant land of North Vancouver, is entering her 4th year at UBC with a major in the History and Archaeology of Greece, Rome and the Near East. Her passion for history and ancient cultures was inspired by summers spent traveling with her family to historically rich locations across Europe as a child. After witnessing the beauty and monumentality of many of these sites, she knew that reading about them in books would never be enough. She wanted to be out in the field interacting with the material culture herself. Her main interests reside in the period of the Athenian Empire, Greek and Roman myth and ritual, and Near Eastern mortuary archaeology. When she’s not struggling to write research papers or decline Greek verbs, you are most likely to find her hidden away on campus with a book, or at home over-indulging in video games.
Siena Hutton
Tribune • VP Internal
Siena Hutton is entering her fourth year of Classical Studies, with a minor in English Literature. Since her dad is an Urban Studies professor at UBC, she was fortunate enough to travel to Italy many times as a child, and developed a deep love of their culture, both modern and ancient. Beginning her degree in Electrical Engineering, Siena quickly realized that her passion lay in the study of Ancient Rome and is glad every day that she made the switch. Her main interest thus far is Roman religion(s), though she also greatly enjoyed her seminar last year on Roman death. When she is not busy struggling through Latin declensions or endless term papers, Siena can be found working as a part time model, part time lifeguard and swim instructor, and competing in cheerleading and quidditch.
Graham Butler
Legatus • Graduate Representative
Leah Saddy
Cornicularius • Secretary
“Leah is a third year student majoring in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, hoping to eventually pursue higher education in Assyriology. She is half-Lebanese Canadian, half-American, was born in Australia, but spent her childhood in Berlin and now regrets never fully appreciating monthly visits to see the Gates of Ishtar at the Pergamon Museum while she had the chance. She was originally aiming to study Medieval European history, but fell head over heels in love with the ancient middle east after visiting Byblos on a family trip to Lebanon the summer before college, signed up for NEST Studies 101 and never looked back. Well, apart from the daily existential crisis over choosing against all better judgement to continue majoring in a subject currently being actively obliterated by maniacs, but never mind that. She loves everything even remotely connected to Assyriology and Sumeriology, Ancient Iran, the Neo-Assyrians, the Seleucids and the Hellenistic Near East, and she has a strong interest in the more recent history and material culture of Central Asia and in Islamic Art History, which she researched extensively for her work on the Stone to Screen project. She also has some experience in Roman archeology from six weeks of working at the Romano-British excavation at Silchester in Southern England. When not obsessing over all of these, she spends most of her time baking, cooking, writing and playing the piano and harmonica.
Constantin Pietschmann
Caesar • President
Constantin is an international student from Germany (though he is also Dutch somehow). In his fifth year at UBC, he will hopefully graduate with a double degree in Political Science and Classical Studies within the next five years or so. To him, the glory of the Roman Republic is unsurpassed and he will gladly indulge in conversations about architecture, pottery and politics of the time.
Katie Hurworth
Legatus • Graduate Representative
Katie has completed undergrad at UBC in The Archaeology and History of Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Near East, and is continuing on at UBC for her gratuate degree . Don’t let her sweet appearance fool you though, she’s a stone-cold heartbreaker. Originally from Tsawwassen, Katie was forced to move into Vancouver proper once the true extent of her empirical ambitions came to light. She once ruled over our department treasury as VP Finance, like the great fire-wyrm Smaug, biding her time until she could begin her conquests anew. That time has come, for Katie has begun expanding her domain to include the upper levels of Buchanan C, as the CNERS SA’s Graduate Representative. As for her extra curricular activities, Katie bears the lofty title of Queen of the Dance, having won the weekly Trivia Night final round Dance-Off at The Academic.
Alexis Watts
Quaestor • VP Finance
Originally hailing from Ontario, Alexis moved to Vancouver to pursue a degree with UBC in Classical Studies! She loves travelling and going on archaeological digs!
Erin Pierik
Consul • VP External
Erin has come down from the mountains (Nelson, BC) to grace UBC with her presence. She is now a 4th year Classical Studies major, however she often rejects the library for the water as a member of the UBC Varsity Rowing team!
Jaymie Orchard
Essedarius • VP Events
Jaymie Orchard, originally from southern Ontario, is a third year Classical studies major. Though she did her first year at UBC in the Faculty of Science, after taking first year Latin and a few other Classical Studies courses she was hooked. You will likely find her either in Koerner library, her permanent place of residence, or in Buchanan, as she has yet to spend a day without getting lost there.
Jayden Lloyd
Tribune • VP Internal
Jayden Lloyd, hailing from southern Alberta, came to UBC in 2012 with the hopes of getting a degree in Anthropology, but after taking CLST 105 (Greek and Roman Myth) she knew she couldn’t be in any other department. She is currently majoring in the Archaeology and History of Greece, Rome and the Near East and was lucky enough to have attended a semester abroad in Athens, Greece with the College Year in Athens program. While she is unsure of the time period she is interested in pursuing, Jayden’s main interest of study is in propaganda and the formation of empires. When she is not trapped within the walls of Koerner you can probably find her hiking a mountain or curled up with a good book. Her favorite animal is a goat.
Sophie Mariano
Praetor • VP Administration
Sophie is a third year International Relations major, but was sucked into CNERS as a Classics minor due the general hilarity of Roman politics. She’s had some whirlwind travel experiences trekking all over Italy while in high school, but was too young and preoccupied with pasta to appreciate the history around her and she now dreams of going back to properly bask in the glory of ancient slabs of rock. On the rare chance that she escapes from the Koerner stacks, Sophie enjoys hiding from the rain in North Vancouver, where the sheer density of tree coverage not only keeps her dry, but relatively warm, too. Other hobbies include being mediocre at video games, yoga, and frolicking with her three cats.
Megan Barbieri
Censor • VP Academic
Megan Barbieri, a girl from the distant land of North Vancouver, is entering her 4th year at UBC with a major in the History and Archaeology of Greece, Rome and the Near East. Her passion for history and ancient cultures was inspired by summers spent traveling with her family to historically rich locations across Europe as a child. After witnessing the beauty and monumentality of many of these sites, she knew that reading about them in books would never be enough. She wanted to be out in the field interacting with the material culture herself. Her main interests reside in the period of the Athenian Empire, Greek and Roman myth and ritual, and Near Eastern mortuary archaeology. When she’s not struggling to write research papers or decline Greek verbs, you are most likely to find her hidden away on campus with a book, or at home over-indulging in video games.
Siena Hutton
Aedile • VP Student Life
Siena Hutton is entering her fourth year of Classical Studies, with a minor in English Literature. Since her dad is an Urban Studies professor at UBC, she was fortunate enough to travel to Italy many times as a child, and developed a deep love of their culture, both modern and ancient. Beginning her degree in Electrical Engineering, Siena quickly realized that her passion lay in the study of Ancient Rome and is glad every day that she made the switch. Her main interest thus far is Roman religion(s), though she also greatly enjoyed her seminar last year on Roman death. When she is not busy struggling through Latin declensions or endless term papers, Siena can be found working as a part time model, part time lifeguard and swim instructor, and competing in cheerleading and quidditch.
David Penner
Governor • VP General
David is a 4th year double major in Classical Studies and Biology. Despite being from the weird faculty known as “science” David has a passion for Classical Studies. David divides his time between roaming the northern wilderness, and the UBC libraries, where he can be found writing and rewriting his thesis the night before his paper is due.
Rodney Mackenzie
Cornicularius • Secretary
Rodney is in his third year at UBC, studying Classical Archaeology. Originally from Vancouver Island, he grew up surrounded by some of the most breathtaking wonders nature has to offer, which had a clear effect on how he grew up. You may have heard of the term “lumbersexual”; this is a failed attempt to categorize Rodney in a way to properly understand the full scope of his rugged manliness. Rodney is a great lover of animals, perhaps understandable, as he himself is a force of nature. He has a particular affinity for dogs. Once he finished High School, Rodney decided to take a year off, to try and find something or someone as manly as himself. After 7 years of fruitless search, he decided to take up Archaeology to see if someone comparable to himself had ever existed in the past. His quest is ongoing, though he has found some interest in the Roman Republic, and the Roman occupation of Britain. Ladies. You have his permission to swoon. Too bad for you though, this guy’s already taken.
Adam Cheifetz
Praefectus • Undergraduate Representative
Adam Cheifetz is a fourth year Classical Studies major with particular interest in mythology and literature, ever since he played Age of Mythology as a child and realized that, while he can’t actually “be” a Greek Hero outside of D&D (and with what he’s learned since then, isn’t actually sure he’d like to be), there is a lot more to learn about mythology than what was contained in that game. Ever since then, he’s been interested in Classical myth and history, although his love for it has to compete with his love of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, and it doesn’t always win. When not reading old books that he probably shouldn’t in murky corners of dusty libraries, Adam can be found sequestered in front of his computer playing video games and writing.
Jeff Boudreau
Caesar • President
Jeff majored in Archaeology and History of Greece, Rome, and the Near East with a particular enjoyment of Mediterranean Religious History in antiquity. He found enjoyment with UBC, Arts, and in particular the wide range of opportunities that are provided to us within our department. He encourages all CNERS students to find a way to get involved as a member of our club, which can gain you some volunteer experience, or with some of the many programs that are offered at UBC such as Arts Co-op, Tri-mentoring, and many others.
Tara Simonetta
Praetor • VP Administration
Tara graduated in 2013 with a BA major in English Literature, minor in Latin. Although she didn’t major in Classics, she is passionate about all things Roman, especially the Latin language. Tara was also a member of the UBC Arts Co-op Program. She loves to read, write and spend time with her big family. Her favorite Roman Emperor is Augustus, and her favorite CNERS course (after all the Latin courses) is a three way tie between CLST 312: Women in Ancient Rome, CLST 105: Greek and Roman Mythology, and CLST 232: Introduction to Roman History.
Hannah Rachael Smith
Tribune • VP Internal
Hannah Rachael Smith studied Classical Studies and Art History with emphasis on Greek and Roman Art. She is originally from California and hopes to one day go into art dealing. Her fascination in classical studies stems from her interest in the influence of ancient cultures on the modern world and its history.
Patricia Taylor
Quaestor • VP Finance
Patricia completed her MA in Classical Archaeology. She also did her undergrad here at UBC in the History and Archaeology of Greece, Rome, and the Near East. During her undergrad, she was fortunate enough to participate in two archaeological digs: one in Sicily, and the other in Mycenae, Greece. Patricia is passionate about her studies, and always happy to chat about all things CNERS related. Her favorite Roman emperor is Augustus and her favorite ancient authors are Aesop and Cicero.
Dominique Swennen
Aedile • VP Student Life
Dominique completed her undergraduate degree at UBC majoring in Classical Archaeology and a minor in History. She has a keen interest in underwater archaeology. She is planning on pursuing a career outside of archaeology in architecture. She has been fortunate enough to have traveled to Greece, Italy and Turkey. Dominique loves to explore and learn about the classical world, as well as anything to do with the sea!
Jimmy Wan
Praetor • VP Administration
Jimmy was a Psychology major, Sociology minor, who was excited to be part of the CNERS executive team. He is passionate in leadership, and held various positions at UBC ranging from Orientations to ‘Start an Evolution’. Although he was not a Classical major, after his first encounter with CNERS, he was inspired by the tight-knit friendships within the club and was passionate to take an active role in the organization. During his leisure time, he enjoys having a occasional adrenaline rush through car racing or sailing. He is also very keen on meeting new people and engaging in memorable conversations through a glass of wine!
Aaron “Hadrian” Rogers
Gymnasiarch • VP Administration
Aaron completed his undergrad at UBC, majoring in the Archaeology and History of Greece, Rome, and the Ancient Near East. He has often been compared to the Roman emperor Hadrian, with whom it is said he shares his devilish good looks; a happy coincidence, given his chosen profession. Upon taking up the roll of VP Admin, Aaron changed the title given to the role from “Praetor” to “Gymnasiarch,” his reasoning being that Gymnasiarch was a way sweeter sounding title. Now that he has finished his degree, Aaron plans on pursuing an active career in field archaeology, and intends on getting his scuba certification to do some underwater archaeology as well. His eventual goal is to run his own dig site, but he plans on taking some time off of school before returning for his MA to gain more practical field experience (and to see all these places he’s been learning about).
Margareta Dovgal
Tribune • VP Internal
Margareta’s love for all things ancient history has pushed her to undertake a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies. When she’s not frantically doing her homework last minute, she’s probably dreaming about traveling the world, doing her best to educate everyone on equitable inclusion, or bouldering. Her favorite avenues of study include gender politics, Korean history, mortuary archaeology, and colonialism. She hopes that all with an appreciation for ancient civilizations, literature, and architecture, even if not pertaining to the Classical World, give CNERSSA a try.
Karl Arden
Caesar (Augustus) • President
Karl knew the Classics would be a part of his life ever since the day he was reading the Aeneid on a beach and an eagle landed on the log next to him. Karl’s main point of interest is the Late Roman Republic, although he is gaining an ever-increasing appreciation of inter-disciplinary approaches to many ancient societies. While visiting ancient sites around the Mediterranean is the closest Karl feels one could get to the ancient past, the hot climates generally do not agree with his sensitive skin and warmer than usual running temperature. As President of the Student Association, Karl hopes to help foster a greater sense of collegiality and camaraderie among those enthusiastic in all aspects of the Ancient World.
Florencia “Flor” Fustinoni
Consul • VP External
Flor is an international student from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who has completed her final undergraduate year at UBC, and is continuing on into her graduate degree. She is majoring in the History and Archaeology of Greece, Rome and the Near East. Her favourite ancient civilization is ancient Egypt: the pyramids particularly fascinate her. A regular part of the Imagine Day volunteer team and the AMS Art Gallery volunteers, she currently works at the UBC Lab of Archaeology. She attended her first field school in Cyprus in 2013, and of course is willing to talk about the experience to anyone interested.
Bronwyn Chomitz
Aedile • VP Student Life
Bronwyn completed her final year at UBC majoring in the History and Archaeology of Greece, Rome and the Near East. Between dragging her family around museums for fun and reading anything on archaeology she could get her hands on; it became clear early on she would pursue this interest somehow. She is currently looking to pursue graduate studies in archaeology of Britain and Northern Europe, hoping to incorporate her Classical background in future ventures. Just like others in the field Bronwyn loves to travel and experience cultures from around the world and has been fortunate enough to participate in two archaeological projects: one in Northern Britain where the weather is more miserable than in Vancouver and the other in Southern Italy during the hottest time of the year!