About
Derek grew up in Alabama and promptly moved to Italy to complete his BA at The American University of Rome. He graduated class of 2020 with the highest honors with a BA in Archaeology & Classics and a minor in Latin. In Italy, Derek has excavated at the colosseum with Roma Tre University and in Tuscany with Florida State University. He also received the Collier's Scholarship to attend the American Academy of Rome's Classical Summer School in 2019. His senior thesis focused on the social identity of the Etruscans as seen through Virgil's Aeneid with references to relevant archaeological materials and historical reports. Within the following summers, Derek participated in the beginnings of an archaeological project, the Aventinus Minor Project, as a research assistant.
After completing an MA in Classics at the University of Michigan's Bridge MA program, Derek is continuing his education as a PhD student in Classical Studies with interests in archaic Italic languages, including but not limited to early Latin and Etruscan.
