Linda McNulty ’18
Classical Studies & Humanities
San Antonio, TX
Meet Linda McNulty, a Top Scholar, a McNair Scholar and a member of the UTSA Honors College. She’s also the first UTSA undergraduate selected to participate in the visiting student program at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford.
McNulty is a junior majoring in classics and minoring in biology and religious studies. She’d never planned to become a classics major but a seminar during her freshman year taught her about Homer’s “Odyssey” and she fell in love with the coursework.
“After that seminar, I knew I wanted to learn more about classics because I was interested in breaking down the text on a much deeper level,” said McNulty.
During her Fall 2016 semester, the 20-year-old explored her love for classical studies in England. She studied in Oxford for eight weeks and took tutorials that fueled her passion for classics.
“It was self-directed study. I was able to research, write essays and get feedback that was very constructive,” said McNulty.
While in England, McNulty studied Greek art, archaeology and hexameter poetry. Those courses and the faculty she met helped her develop ideas for her honors thesis, which will focus on rituals in the Homeric epics.
She also spent quite a bit of time soaking in the culture overseas. She explored Stonehenge and Bath. Those experiences helped her realize she wants to pursue graduate studies in the classics.
Now back at UTSA, McNulty credits the Department of Philosophy and Classics faculty members for sharing their time and talent, and for helping her plan a successful future on a path she loves.
“I don’t think I would have grown so much without their continuous support. When I decided I wanted to attend graduate school, they were supportive and have jumped in to prepare me for that next step,” said McNulty. “The support of the Top Scholar program, McNair Scholar Program and my friends are all a huge part of who I am and where I am in my studies.”