Jonas Sese is a senior in the LSA Honors Program majoring in Classical Languages and Literature.  In 2015, Sese worked on a research project on a documentary papyrus from the Fayyum with Brendan Haug, Assistant Professor of Classical Studies and Archivist of the Papyrology Collection.  He has received multiple awards for his translations including the Phillips Classical Prize for Greek and the Manson Stewart Undergraduate Award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS).

Jonas is currently working on his Honors thesis on narration in Herodotus as an Honors Summer Fellow under the directorship of Professor Richard Janko.  Professor Janko says  “Jonas Sese not only took my advanced graduate-level class on literary criticism and theory in ancient Greece, in which he did an excellent study of Plato, but he also sat in on a not-for-credit faculty seminar that I conducted on the mysterious Derveni papyrus. One really doesn't expect to see a junior in such settings, let alone one who does all the reading and has intelligent observations to make about it. He's one of the most talented undergraduates whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know here; I can't say "of teaching", since Jonas seems to learn without visible effort all on his own. So I will be very excited to watch his progress”.

Jonas received the 2016 Beinecke Scholarship to support his pursuit of a PhD in Classics after graduation. Jonas is the third U-M student in a row to win a Beinecke Scholarship (Anna Forringer-Beal in 2015, Stephanie Leitzel 2014).  Aileen Das, Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, writes that “Jonas is meticulous, a quick learner and extremely self-motivated. Coupled with his humility and positive attitude, these qualities not only make him a worthy recipient of the Beinecke scholarship but also will help guide him through his future graduate studies and professional career”.  Dr. Netta Berlin adds that “Jonas Sese is an exceptional language student with excellent promise for a career in classics. He is pursuing his Greek and Latin studies with great energy (in Greek 301, he developed an interest in the nuances of Plato's particles) and devoting himself to an undergraduate career that will give him the breadth and depth of knowledge and experience required for success in graduate school”.

The Beinecke Scholarship Program was established in 1971 by the board of directors of Sperry & Hutchinson Co. to honor Edwin, Frederick and Walter Beinecke, enabling motivated students to pursue graduate opportunities in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The scholarship provides $34,000 in financial aid toward graduate degrees in these fields.