College Starts with a Letter to Cicero for Greenville Student

SMITHFIELD, RI -- First, Samantha Kennedy received a letter of acceptance from Loyola University. Now, she must study a letter to a Roman orator, as she continues her education at Loyola University, Maryland.

Kennedy is a member of the Class of 2020, according to Angela Martin, school spokeswoman.

About 4,000 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students attend Loyola, she said. Three other Rhode Islanders -- Matthew Sweeney, of Cranston; James Fallon, of Bristol; and Andrea Sullivan, of Middletown -- are Kennedy's classmates.

They all have to deal with Cicero, though.

"As first-year students embark on their college experience, they will all take part in Loyola's living learning program, Messina," Martin explained. "The common text for Messina is How to Win an Election, Quintus Tullius Cicero's letter to his brother, Marcus.

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman orator who became a candidate for Consul (the highest office in the Roman church) in 64 B.C.

Photo Courtesy of Loyola University