Tom Palaima, a classics professor at The University of Texas at Austin and expert on Linear B, supervised Skelton’s research on the writing
system. When
she received the award, he gave her some sage advice: “Take some time to enjoy the celebrity, but remember you are the same person now that you were before. Take these things for what they are worth. No more.”
Skelton is thrilled by the honor, but it hasn’t changed her drive and her perspective. What will she do with the $20,000?
“It might sound boring,” she said, “but I’ll use it for research and school as the need arises.”
When asked how it felt to have achieved so much at such a young age, she appropriately recounted a story from the classics:
Ancient Rome was still a republic ruled by the Senate. There was a crisis—an invading army had surrounded part of the Roman army and threatened to advance and capture the capital. The Senate couldn’t agree on a course of action, so it decided to elect Cincinnatus, a former senator, to become emperor and save the republic. They found him plowing his fields and implored him to help. He went to Rome, took charge of the consular army and defeated the invaders. When he returned 16 days later, he gave up one of the most powerful jobs in the world and went straight back to his fields to finish plowing.
“It’s like, ‘I’m not going to break out the wine, I have to go plow my field,’” Skelton said. “Or in my case, ‘That’s great, now I’ve got to go do my homework.’”
