Seek after the means of life, and whenever you already have life, then seek after excellence. -Phocylides
The Tragos Quest to Greece is a leadership opportunity unlike any other. Every year, a group of roughly 15 undergraduate members is selected out of a potential pool of over ten thousand. This year, our chapter was proud to be represented by brother Seth Sloan ’24!
Seth is a senior Accounting major from Taylorville, Illinois. He has been a member of our chapter for three years now and has served as our Vice President of SigEp Learning Communities from 2020-2021. Seth applied for Tragos during his junior year and was selected to be a part of the journey during the summer leading into his senior year. When asked why he applied, he credits Ryan Ware, our past chapter President who served with Seth on our Executive Board, for encouraging him to give the application a shot and keeping him encouraged throughout the application process. Ryan, being a Tragos Scholar himself, had the honor of announcing Seth as a 2022 Tragos Scholar during one of our chapter meetings this spring.
Prior to the trip, Seth and other scholars received materials about all of the Greek philosophers they would be learning about and their respective schools of philosophy. The first leg of the journey actually started here in the United States, as all 17 scholars met in Chicago prior to their departure to learn more about the trip and set the tone for the coming days. At their orientation in Chicago they met Dr. Brandon Cline, a historian who would travel through Greece with them to teach the historical context to the ancient sites in Greece. In Chicago, Cline walked them through a brief history of Ancient Greece and other knowledge they would need to make the most of their time in Greece.
The next step in the Tragos Quest to Greece took Seth and his fellow scholars over 5,000 miles to Greece’s capital city of Athens! Seth comments that “from the moment we landed in Greece, we hit the ground running… Every minute of our time in Greece was spent doing something productive.” Every morning, and throughout the day, the scholars learned about the history and significance of each of their stops, sometimes visiting up to 3 in one day.
Each day after all the visits were done was the evening discussion, where the scholars discussed what they learned that day and how Ancient Greek philosophy can be applied to our modern lives. Seth even got to lead the evening discussion at his favorite site in Olympia, where the original Olympic Games were held. Seth’s discussion focused on the idea of “kalokagathos”, which is an idea very similar to the “Sound Mind, Sound Body” ideal of our fraternity. “We had a really good discussion about that and how, while it is different for everybody, it’s also important for everybody,” Seth says.
As an avid runner, Seth had a very unique opportunity while in Greece. Only a handful of athletes out of the many millions get to grace the Olympic stage, and even fewer still get the chance to grace the original Olympic stage in Olympia, Greece, the site of the first games held in 776 BC. Running was one of the few sports we know today to be present in the original games millennia ago, and Seth had the opportunity to race on the original path where the best of the best in the Ancient Greek world once raced. “Following their footsteps, in a way, was truly awesome.”
In reflection of his time in Greece, Seth says that “a huge theme of the Tragos Quest to Greece was self-discovery… We connected our experiences to help discover why we do what we do.” Seth goes on to say how beneficial that self-discovery journey has been to his leadership. “We all walked away with a better outward stance of how we can lead others.” Seth is excited to use what he learned as a Tragos Scholar to better those around him like he himself has been bettered. Seth’s determination and passion for SigEp are inspirations for all of our members and alumni, who can see what Seth has done with the opportunities presented to him and remember that they too can strive for excellence.