As a previous student and graduate of WISDOM, Elise fell in love with both the classics and Latin, which led her to the small classical college, New Saint Andrews, in Moscow, ID. There she received a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture with a focus primarily on linguistics and history. Her love of Latin was increased as she learned to read and translate Virgil, as well as dialogue in that ancient tongue with her classmates and professors. At this Oxford inspired school where they wore robes during exams, competed in rugby and rowing, and where student halls vied for the end of year cup, Elise was able to extensively study literature, theology, philosophy, and beauty. After a number of trips to Israel throughout her undergrad, Elise’s fascination with Jewish history and literature grew, and her senior thesis focused on the democratizing power of Christianity on ancient burial by comparing it against Jewish and Roman burial practices and beliefs. Elise’s interest in Jewish studies has continued as she heads to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem this October for a M.A. in Jewish Studies.
When not spending her time bent over tomes in—preferably—old libraries or bookshops, you can find Elise scaling summits, carving fresh powder, quenching her wanderlust, or jamming to Israeli pop music.