2021 Literae Humaniores Hi! I’m Kate, a fourth-year finalist studying Classics. I am very excited to be travelling to North America this summer and to meet some of the Balliol alumni! I have really enjoyed my time at Balliol, getting involved in lots of extracurricular activities, such as being Editor-in-Chief of the Alexandria Classics Journal and being a member of the University Powerlifting club. I competed at Varsity in February and have qualified for All England’s in July. I am very grateful to have been offered the William Westermann Pathfinders award and the chance to travel in North America, where I intend to compare the American ballet technique and culture against my own experience learning the British style. This will involve attending shows, museum exhibitions and interviewing dancers from countries outside North America who have been trained in other styles to understand their experience adapting to the different technique. I love travelling and experiencing other cultures; last summer, a friend and I were fortunate enough to travel around Greece and Italy with a Balliol-funded grant, which gave us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the cultures and to see firsthand the artefacts that we are studying in our degree. I am very excited to apply my passion for ballet to focussed research and to experience everything North America has to offer!