Patrick Fraser '07

Classics Major | Firefighter/EMT
patrick fraser

I graduated in 2007 with a degree in classics. Immediately after graduating I obtained a job in special education as a paraprofessional. After a cross country move in 2010, I began working in mental health as a wilderness therapy field guide and psych tech in a mental health facility. Finally, I’ve recently started my dream career as a firefighter/EMT for the Salt Lake City Fire Department. Through it all I’ve continued reading "The Iliad," Bulfinch’s "Mythology," and occasionally revisiting "Wheelock’s Latin" when I feel like humbling myself. It has certainly been beneficial knowing the medical Latin and Greek prefixes, roots and suffixes relating to my jobs in hospitals and as an EMT. Most often though, I’ve found that sharing stories about gods and monsters with my students and heroic myths with patients with whom I’ve worked have been the most consistent and enjoyable use of my degree in classics. As I look back, a part of me was cast in the crucible of my classics major: I see a young man that had not been exposed to a truly rigorous academic experience. Those years on campus set a standard for excellence, one that I’ve never forgotten and has since served me well professionally and personally.