Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you’re doing! To begin, can we tell our readers how many years you spent at BU?
You are very welcome! Thank you for still remembering me and thinking of me after I have disappeared and entered the inevitable void known as life. I am happy and pleased to be spending my afternoon with you. I spent a grand spanking total of four full years at BU, running amok as Zak and Chloe Elizabeth Hite tried to rein me in.
Where do you currently live?
I currently dwell in the home in which I grew up, in Katonah, NY (which is northern Westchester). It is the first time in over five years since all four of my immediate family members (including myself) have been living under the same roof. It has been a treat!
Where do you work and what position do you hold?
I will shortly begin tutoring students in mathematics at my old high school while I search for a more-permanent job.
What type of work have you done up until now?
I worked as a cultural intern and project researcher at Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Nafplio, Greece after my junior year at BU. After my sophomore year, I was a sales office assistant at Marcus & Millichap, Inc. Real Estate Investment Services in Downtown Chicago, where I sourced potential real estate acquisitions for the firm. At BU, I worked as a learning assistant, Peer Support coordinator, and office assistant for the very office that is conducting this interview! Outside of Core, I was a sports official at the Fitness & Recreation Center for the intramural sports league. I also used to tutor mathematics and instruct violin to students.
Now that you’re a few years past graduation, looking back what would you say have been the benefits of your Core education?
The single biggest benefit of the Core Curriculum was learning to understand our world and our humanity, and realizing the need to study classics, history, and literature in order to accomplish these goals. The curriculum and the community supplemented my foray into mathematics and commercial real estate, and enabled me to tackle analytical problems with a more well-rounded mind and approach.My understanding of Core is that it aims to encompass all facets of life, the questions of who are we? where did we come from? and, where are we going? More importantly, it teaches you HOW to think, and why it IS valuable to think, discuss, and reason. The final piece is in equipping you with an elevated awareness of what knowledge is why it has value, which you can use moving forward in any field of study, work, leisure, or walk of life. Whatever work I end up finding for myself in the near future, I will always desire to supplement my work with the enrichment and stimulation of reading and discussion. It is imperative that I feel like Im still reaching down to get to the truth of things, to the bottom of WHY we perform the tasks we do.
What book did you encounter in the Core that impacted you the most?
The Old and New Testaments of The Bible have both impacted me the most. As a devout Christian, I feel that that may be too tendentious of an answer. The Bible was very impactful for me before I ever enrolled at BU. However, approaching The Bible from an academic point of view as opposed to a theological one was a very interesting and challenging exercise for me. Discussing it with my peers was even more arduous. It gave me a new appreciation for the works, in a literate sense, whilealsoenabling me to grow closer to my faith and theological understanding of the sacred scriptures.
What do you miss more about the Core office?
I miss the people and the common understanding that it is acceptable, nay encouraged to drop everything you are doing to engage in a very serious discussion about the fundamental principles of life, the existence or lack thereof of shared morality, the implication of history on current events, what books should and should not be read in the Core, and much, much more. As we love to say, learning takes place outside of the classroom too, but nowhere is it as prevalent as in the Core office.
Anything else you want to share?
I wanted a liberal arts education at BU. I worked hard for, and obtained just that. But the opportunities, experiences, and knowledge I gained would not have been possible outside of the Core Curriculum at Boston University. For that, I am eternally grateful. Thank you, Core! I promise I will be back to visit, because as I am learning more and more every day, there is no place like home!
Yanni, seen here enjoying “the outside.”
Feel free to follow Yanni (but only on Twitter):@ioannismetaxas1
