On Wednesday May 17, The national honor society Phi Theta Kappa conducted an induction ceremony at Bellevue College to welcome the new members and welcome back the old ones. The induction ceremony is held every year at on BC campus and it gives the members opportunities to meet people and create connections.
Phi Theta Kappa began in 1918 as a small honor society in Mississippi, but it soon became implemented in many colleges across America and became recognized as a national honor society. Bellevue College joined the program in 1979 and has been working around the clock since then to help as many students into the program as possible.
“The goal of PTK is to recognize and encourage scholarship for two-year college students, such as Bellevue College. Our mission statement goes on to explain that our purpose is achieved by providing the opportunity for development of leadership skills through service. Furthermore, PTK also provides a fellowship for scholars where diverse ideas and ideals are encouraged,” explained Phi Theta Kappa member Zachary Barnes.
Phi Theta Kappa is much more than an honor society, though. The society offers a wide range of scholarships that can help students pay for tuition, books, housing fees and many other costs of colleges around the country. Members have access to nearly $90 million in scholarship money and all of it is dedicated to helping students in two or three-year colleges transfer into more prestigious four-year colleges.
“The student will gain access to service opportunities monthly, a fellowship of diverse students with a passion for academics, and, of course, scholarship resources,” explained Barnes. “Your membership status is also printed on your transcripts for potential universities to see. Members also automatically gain access to Collegefish.org, a transfer planning tool. In addition to this, we also offer over $37 million in possible transfer scholarships.”
In order to get into the honor society, students have to maintain above a 3.5 GPA and pay a membership fee of $70. The fee goes back to the students, allowing them to have specific events and induction ceremonies. However, BC has tried its hardest to lower the costs as much as possible.
Lindsay Haney explained that “Here at BC, we have historically kept membership fees as low as possible (many other chapters charge far more than $5 for the local portion of the fee), and we generally have some scholarship help available for students who cannot pay the fee.”
If students have any questions on what is required to join, contact Lindsay Haney at lindsay.haney@bellevuecollege.edu or go to www.ptk.org.