Yonathon Ledesma, a member of the Manhattanville Advancement Program, hails from the Bronx, NY and is hoping to be a computer science major.  His Freshman Essay was inspired by a question Prof. Megan Cifarelli posed to the class one day: Why is it that Homer at times glorifies violence and at other times creates highly emotional moments between the characters in the Iliad?  This question spurred Yonathon to think more deeply about the characters in the Iliad, and in his essay entitled “The Mortal vs. the Homeric Hero: A Homeric Warrior’s Journey for Glory,” he explores the conflict between heroism and humanity.  Of Yonathan’s paper, Prof. Cifarelli remarks, “it is a wonderful outgrowth of his intelligence and inquisitiveness, but it was honed by his remarkable work ethic.  I’ve never seen anyone work harder or push themselves further.”  The development of Yonathon’s award-winning paper was also supported by Prof. John Proctor, his writing instructor.