Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Moloney

Sarah Moloney graduated from Florida State University in Spring 2023 and earned dual bachelor’s degrees from the Department of English and the Department of Classics, both within the College of Arts and Sciences. During her time at FSU, Moloney served as a blog writer for the Askew Student Life Center, and for a final project in her Roman history course, she wrote a short screenplay for an imaginary show – “The Real Housewives of Ancient Rome.” Moloney’s career goals include pursuing work in a museum, with hopes that graduate school will help her find her niche.

Tell us about your background, where you’re from and what originally brought you to FSU. 

I was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. Because of my in-state scholarships, I knew I needed to attend a school in Florida, but I always wanted to attend university abroad. I chose FSU because of its First Year Abroad (FYA) program, which allowed me to have the best of both worlds. Being able to live and study in London during my freshman year was the highlight of my time at FSU.

What inspired you to pursue a degree in both editing, writing and media and classics? 

As a college freshman, my goal was to become an editor at a publishing company; that was the inspiration behind my editing, writing and media degree. However, after taking some courses related to archeology and the ancient world in London, I remembered my childhood dream of becoming an archeologist. I realized I was still passionate about history and ancient cultures, so I decided to pursue an additional degree in classical civilizations.

What do you want the public to know about your accomplished studies? Why were your topics important? 

I want the public to know that the ancient world is exciting, and there is still so much to learn about past cultures. Anytime I travel to a new city, my main objective is to visit museums. I could spend hours looking at each artifact or piece of art and reading their labels. My editing, writing and media degree is also crucial to understanding how we communicate as a society, and communicating effectively in today’s world is an essential skill.

Tell us about your past screenplay "The Real Housewives of Ancient Rome." 

This screenplay was my final project for my Roman Republic course taught by associate professor of classics Jessica Clark. She gave us free reign for the project to take some aspect of ancient Rome and get creative with it. Given my double major in editing, writing and media, I decided to write a screenplay that explores the lives of women in Rome through the reality TV lens. I wrote three episodes that each revolved around a historical event or figure from Roman times. It is important to me that women from the ancient world are brought into the spotlight, and my screenplay seeks to give women from all classes a voice, from those who were enslaved to the wives of ancient consuls.

What are some goals or projects that you worked on? 

My current goal is getting into graduate school! I am applying for the Museum & Cultural Heritage Studies Master’s Program at FSU. In terms of previous projects I’m proud of, I served on the content committee for FSU’s Askew Student Life Center during my time at FSU. I frequently wrote articles and created content for SLC’s online blog, physical magazines, and podcasts about pop culture topics such as movies, TV shows and music.

What aspect of your areas of study did you find most rewarding? 

I find being able to apply what I learned in my classes to the outside world the most rewarding. Throughout my undergraduate years, I genuinely enjoyed attending classes and listening to lectures, so carrying that knowledge into other contexts is incredibly fulfilling. I also enjoy visiting museums to identify and date objects based on the knowledge I’ve gained before looking at the labels provided.

What on-campus resources helped you achieve success? 

FSU Libraries and their many resources helped me achieve success! In my early undergrad years, I only used online resources. More recently, I discovered that Strozier Library has much more to offer. It is so cool to sit down with a physical copy of an original excavation report or to visit the special collections and look at thousand-year-old cuneiform tablets.

Are there any faculty or staff who have helped or inspired you? 

Louise Schofield – British author, archeologist, and professor at the American University of Rome – was one of my professors during my freshman year abroad in London, and I took multiple courses with her. She is a professor for half the year, working and teaching in London and Rome, and an archeologist during the other half, living in a tent in Ethiopia and braving hyena attacks to study what?. Her classes were awesome, but I truly loved her stories about her life and work. Her tales of her time as a curator at the British Museum inspired me greatly and helped me realize my desires to work in a museum one day. What are your plans?

Even though you might miss FSU, what are you looking forward to now?

My plan is to attend grad school to prepare me for a career in a museum. I hope to explore various kinds of museum work and find my niche. This summer, I will be traveling to Italy as part of the Department of Classics Cosa Excavations. I look forward to getting experience in the field by learning how to process objects for placement in the local museum and fulfilling my childhood dream of being an archaeologist.