Salve! I’m Ilse (Ilsa Latine). I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa, where I taught Latin and ancient cultures at the North-West University since 2014. I really started speaking Latin with SALVI (North American Institute for Living Latin Studies) in 2016 where I met and became quick friends with many kind, friendly, amazing people. I had found a place where I could learn how to express myself in this language that I had learned about for so many years! Moreover, I had found a wonderful community of Latin speakers.

Since that first Rusticatio, I’ve nurtured my own Latin speaking ability by regular practice of both input (reading and listening) and output (writing and speaking). I also started including the use of spoken Latin in my classrooms to great success with my students! In 2019, I was an instructor at Rusticatio for the first time. It was amazing to see and be part of people’s growth and confidence in Latin!

In the fall of 2020, I joined the Classics Department at Boston University as a Ph.D. student! During summers, I look forward to creating more free resources for Latinitas Animi Causa while my wonderfully gifted husband teaches Latin and ancient Greek. I enjoy playing World of Warcraft whenever I get the chance and hanging out with my son and husband watching shows, traveling, going on walks, and just enjoying and experiencing life.