Patrick Stange grew up in Huntington Beach, California and after graduating from Mater Dei High School (Class of ’08) he came to UC Santa Cruz, knowing from the start that Classical Studies would be his major. Patrick quickly found a home among the students of the UC Santa Cruz Classical Studies program.
Unlike many UC Santa Cruz students, Patrick had already begun his study of Latin in high school, and was able to enroll in upper-division Latin classes as a freshman. He was selected by Professor Dan Selden to receive the student scholarship associated with the Dizikes Faculty Teaching Award in his sophomore year. He also began his study of Ancient Greek at UC Santa Cruz as a sophomore, and in 2011 received the Sol and Esther Draznin Classics Endowed Scholarship for an outstanding student of Ancient Greek. In 2012, he graduated with highest honors, intending to continue his studies in Latin and Greek literature. After completing the Post-Baccalaureate Program in Classics at UC Los Angeles in 2013, Patrick is now happily (and coldly) beginning a Ph.D. program in the Religion Department at the University of Toronto.
Patrick calls the years he spent at UC Santa Cruz “some of the happiest and most formative of my life.” Managing to combine excellence in his studies with “surfing perfect winter swells fired in from the north Pacific,” Patrick is an example of how UC Santa Cruz Classical Studies majors can combine broad interests in the Ancient world with extracurricular pursuits. He is still in touch with old professors and students and strives to see them and to visit Santa Cruz whenever possible. “I wouldn't be where I am today without the guidance and encouragement offered by the faculty and atmosphere of UC Santa Cruz Classical Studies. I couldn't think of a better place for anyone to grow and to discover both the past and themselves.”
