In this episode of The Case for Classics, I sit down with Cindy Calder, founder of Calder Classics, whose programs have personally shaped the way I experience the ancient world. After years of studying Latin in the classroom, traveling to Rome with Calder Classics showed me how powerful it can be to read ancient texts in the very places where their history unfolded.

Cindy shares her own unconventional journey from growing up surrounded by ancient sites in Greece to a career in banking and translation before returning to school to study Greek and Latin. We discuss how Classics develops self-expression, close reading, and critical thinking—and why there is no single path into the field.

We also explore Virgil’s Aeneid, learning through travel, and Cindy’s work bringing Classical stories into the present through educational programs and a jewelry collection inspired by ancient coins and mythology that helps fund student scholarships.