SPQR Fellowship

I remember asking Ken the first time we spoke what SPQR represented. Clearly, I had not done my homework on Rome. Ken’s response was that he would let me discover the meaning of SPQR on my own. Naturally, I went straight to Google to find the definition, but the importance of the meaning of the “Senate and People of Rome” was something that I would not discover until I was in Rome.

At the surface level, one can find the inscription everywhere. From drain covers on the ground, to new advertisements and monuments that have been in place for hundreds of years, SPQR surely is the seal of the city. It was fun to see all the different places where the inscription could be found. It seemed that everywhere I turned, the letters SPQR were staring back at me. Though the history goes back to ancient Rome, the glory of the SPQR meaning continues today.

More than being completely visible, however, the meaning of SPQR is what is truly important. The significance of Rome – the ancient Roman Republic to the modern city that is still a world treasure – cannot be duplicated. In the ancient times, when the Romans established their republic they flourished in establishing the empire, building their grandeur, and providing an example for the world to follow with respect to politics, administration, and power. The rise and fall of Rome cannot be forgotten, and yet the city lived on to flourish throughout the Renaissance and still today. SPQR represents a city unlike any other, an empire so magnificent that it has been nicknamed the Eternal City, and the phrase, “All roads lead to Rome” is a common descriptor. The influence of Rome will never fade. Romans left the entire world monuments, lessons, and models for civilization that we continue to use and learn from even to this day.

As I reflect on my time in Rome, I am incredibly grateful for everything I experienced and learned. I want to sincerely thank everyone who made the SPQR Fellowship possible. I am incredibly thankful to have been able to live in Rome for a few weeks and take in the daily experiences of all that Rome has to offer. It was a gift every day to wake up in Rome and discover and learn from such an incredible city. The architecture, art, history, urban design, and more are lessons and sights that I will never forget.

My Roman adventure was the experience of a lifetime, and it is still hard to believe that I was able to see and do everything that I did in Rome. There is no substitute for seeing things in person. Living and breathing in Rome, a city so often referenced in every kind of history book, offered an incredible learning opportunity. I know that I will continually draw from my experiences, and that my time in Rome will stay with me forever.

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