{"id":32012,"date":"2026-08-04T12:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T17:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?p=32012"},"modified":"2026-08-04T08:40:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T13:40:21","slug":"what-can-you-do-with-a-classics-major","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/what-can-you-do-with-a-classics-major\/","title":{"rendered":"What can you do with a classics major?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every year, graduates from the College of Letters & Science enter the workforce and begin to contribute thousands of dollars to their local, state, and national economies. They bring the skills and knowledge they gained at UW-Milwaukee to their jobs, along with their ambitions and fresh perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article series, we highlight some of the recent Letters & Science alumni who have found fulfilling roles in their chosen fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Name: <\/strong>Zach Mantyh<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduation Year: <\/strong>2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major: <\/strong>Classics and Psychology<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job: <\/strong>Assistant of Stewardship and Visitor Engagement at the Basilica of St. Josaphat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stepping into the Basilica of St. Josaphat<\/a> on Milwaukee\u2019s south side is a breathtaking experience. The ceiling soars up to graceful dome, stained glass windows dazzle the eye, and the walls are covered in beautiful paintings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parishioners visit for Mass, but the basilica is open during the week to anyone who wants to learn its history and explore its architecture. If you drop in for a tour, you just might have Zach Mantyh as your guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mantyh is the Assistant of Stewardship and Visitor Engagement at the Basilica of St. Josaphat, and he\u2019s also a UWM graduate. He chose the university because it was an academically rigorous school close to home. Initially, he started out as a psychology major, but he kept taking elective classes in classics \u2013 so many that he added it as a second major. He loved classical literature and history and even took some anthropology courses to make sure he was well-rounded in archaeology too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy the end of my four-year program, I was actually more invested in in classics than I was in psychology,\u201d he laughed. \u201c(But) it was definitely a degree I pursued out of passion. \u2026 I\u2019m like, man, what I am going to do with this degree?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mantyh considered going to grad school, but first he wanted to move to Madison to be with his now-wife and get some work experience. His first three jobs \u2013 at an ice cream store, a funeral home, and an HVAC company \u2013 had nothing to do with either of his degrees. But when the couple moved home to Milwaukee, Mantyh found his calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re parishioners (at St. Josaphat), and we happened to have a good connection with the staff and the current pastor, and this position was opening up,\u201d Mantyh said. \u201cI was in the right place in the right time, and it worked with my background.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much of what he learned in his UWM classes shows up in his everyday job, he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor instance, there\u2019s a lot of Latin inscriptions around the basilica,\u201d he said. \u201cThe basilica has so much neoclassical and classical styled art within it. It\u2019s a very historic site. \u2026 Part of my job here is I get to lead tours or talk to people, and it\u2019s awesome to be able to share my passion for that history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s one of his favorite aspects of the job. Because of the historic nature of the basilica and its importance in American Catholic history, St. Josaphat welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world each year. Mantyh has given tours to guests from Poland to Ukraine to Bangladesh and everywhere in between, but it\u2019s just as much fun when he gets visitors from Milwaukee who are visiting St. Josaphat for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading tours is just one part of Mantyh\u2019s job \u2013 it\u2019s part of the \u201cvisitor engagement\u201d portion of his title. But he also assists with stewardship, which means helping with the day-to-day logistics of the parish, event-planning, fundraising, social media management, and even managing the gift shop operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be tough to balance the needs of a historic basilica with the modern parish that lives in the building. Mantyh and his coworkers are always looking for ways to accommodate the surrounding community and the parish while working within the constraints of the building\u2019s space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His UWM education gave him the tools to rise to meet those and other challenges of the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUWM taught me a lot in terms of the range of things you could explore. I had some really wonderful professors who encouraged me to look at history in a more interconnected way,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I\u2019m working in a building like this, it\u2019s cool that I can look at a painting or a statue or an inscription and know that it\u2019s all part of the same history. It\u2019s a built-in legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while learning the facts are important, Mantyh also hopes that current students will learn to take advantage of internship opportunities and to make personal connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet to know people in institutions that are related to you,\u201d he advised. After all, that\u2019s how he came to this job. \u201cI\u2019m so fortunate to have this job that I have now and I really love it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Basilica of St. Josaphat, at a glance:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n