Nolis Arkoulakis '88

Position
HS Latin Teacher
Affiliation
Princeton Public Schools
Bio/Description

"I stepped back from the day-to-day practice of clinical medicine,” said Nolis Arkoulakis ’88, who teaches Latin at Princeton High School. After two decades as a plastic surgeon, his days now revolve around a language that has long been close to his heart. Growing up, Arkoulakis spent most summers with his family in Greece, and took his first Latin class in middle school. At Princeton, he majored in classics, and he continued his studies in a master’s program at Oxford. Then came medical school and a career as a surgeon — but he felt there was “some unfinished business.” It all began during his 25th reunion. “There was an ad from Teacher Prep in PAW encouraging alumni to get their teaching certificate,” he said. “A phone call was made the following Monday.” Arkoulakis took one class at a time and served as a student Latin teacher at Princeton High School. He taught in the morning and saw his patients later in the day. “I kept coming back because it was all so interesting, but I really had no agenda in terms of changing careers. It was just tremendous fun,” he said. After Teacher Prep, the school offered him an opportunity to teach full time. “I was very lucky to be offered this spot,” he said. “Teaching is a tremendous privilege because you are invited to share in your students’ lives, and hopefully help them in some real way.”