Volunteering can connect students and communities around shared interests, including ancient history and mythology. On January 31, 2026, students in the MSU Classical Society facilitated the Michigan Junior Classical League’s (MJCL) convention on MSU’s campus for the first time in 20 years and came away with meaningful relationships and lessons in leadership.

The MSU Classical Society is a registered student organization (RSO) in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies that promotes study of ancient Mediterranean society. Through museum visits, movie nights, collaborations with other history RSOs, guest lectures, and more, the Classical Society provides a shared space for all students with an interest in classical history.

In August 2025, MJCL reached out to faculty advisor Brandon Conley about hosting their annual convention on campus as a central location for attendees across the state. The Classical Society was eager to participate, and MJCL invited MSU volunteers to provide input throughout the planning process.

“We didn’t know that Michigan had an active JCL—they had fallen off the radar during the [COVID-19] pandemic—so it was nice to hear that they’re having conventions again,” Conley says. “The humanities need all of the help they can get right now, and a lot of these events couldn’t occur without volunteers.”

For Michigan middle and high school students, MJCL offers educational newsletters and hosts certamen, or quiz competitions, about classical history. At their annual convention, art contests, athletic olympika activities, certamen, and workshop sessions offer a variety of ways for youth to celebrate and explore this topical interest.

At the convention, Classical Society members arranged spaces and supplies, graded art and academic contests, and hosted their own workshop identifying features of coins using both replicas and ancient artifacts. Through planning their workshop, members had the opportunity to develop their own educational materials and connect with younger students over their passion for learning.

“[The workshop] was a really good way for our students to answer challenging questions people might have or unexpected questions that they didn’t plan for,” Conley says. For all Classical Society members, regardless of role, Conley adds, the convention was an experience in building leadership skills. “With any event like this, there’s a lot of uncertainty and adaptation, and being able to adapt and still carry out your task is an under-discussed but important leadership quality,” he says.

Following this year’s convention, the MSU Classical Society has committed to volunteering at future MJCL conventions. Planning for 2026–2027 programming has also included ideas for more service opportunities. According to Conley, building relationships like these is an important way to keep passion for education in the classics alive.

“For our field, it’s pretty niche, there’s the potential for us to be isolated, and we don’t have a lot of the larger events that other content areas do,” Conley says. “It’s valuable to bring groups like this together, especially to have a space where faculty, students, and the next generation of college students can share that enthusiasm.”