KOKOMO, Ind. — Twenty students from Ivy Tech Community College’s Kokomo Service Area were recently honored for their academic achievement with induction into the Alpha Pi Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa international academic honor society.
New members inducted during the fall ceremonies, by hometown, include:
Bunker Hill: Jillian Jacobs
Burnettsville: Timothy Osborn
Fishers: Kayla Viramontes
Gas City: Samantha Gentry
Kokomo: Ashton Boring, Elizabeth Breedlove, Daniela Gonzalez, Pierre Malone, Melissa Pruitt, and Desmon Williams
Logansport: Jocelyn Reyes
Macy: Jessa Wilhelm
Marion: Justin Bull and Jada Row
Noblesville: Bryan Mason and Roger McCarthy
Peru: Alexis Lees, David Makin
Rochester: Chloe Prince
Westfield: Crizelda Aramboles
The new officers inducted at the ceremony included Chloe Prince, president; Desmon Williams, general vice president; and Eliza Barkley, vice president of communications.
As the event’s keynote speaker, Professor Amber Williams, who has taught psychology courses and served as advisor to the Alpha Pi Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa for a decade, congratulated the new members on their perseverance and achievement in the face of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She spoke about the value of Phi Theta Kappa and encouraged the students to take advantage of all the opportunities it offers members for educational, personal, and professional advancement.
Williams recently left the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus to take on the role of Ivy Tech’s first statewide director of Employee Diversity, Equity, and Belonging. The Phi Theta Kappa chapter’s new advisers are Dr. Gauri Pitale, assistant professor of Life Science, who thanked Williams for her years of service to the honor society, and Dr. Nicholas Bianco, assistant professor of Physical Science.
Currently enrolled students are invited to join the international academic honor society when they have completed at least 12 program-level or college-level credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5. Phi Theta Kappa has a two-fold mission – to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and to provide opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship programming.
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society has been recognizing and encouraging excellence among community colleges since it was founded in 1918. Today, Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in higher education with more than 3 million members and nearly 1,400 chapters located in 50 states, U.S. territories, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Germany, United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Palau. The recognition and scholarship opportunities that Phi Theta Kappa brings to an institution, its faculty advisors, and most importantly to its student members are unparalleled by any other student organization.
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering associate degree and short-term certificate programs, and trainings that align to the needs of the community. The College also offers courses and associate degree programs that seamlessly transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelor’s degree.
Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region serves Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, and Tipton counties and includes the communities of Kokomo, Logansport, Peru, Rochester, and Tipton.