By JALYNN VINSON, Ranger Reporter:
Some Amarillo College students have reached a milestone in academic achievement. On March 24, the AC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the national community college honor society, inducted new members. The inductions took place at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall Theater.
Current PTK officers, members and advisers welcomed new members into the honor society and congratulated them on reaching this turning point in their college careers.
“Tonight’s induction is a recognition of the hard work and dedication put in by outstanding students at Amarillo College. Each person invited to join must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA with a minimum number of hours taken at Amarillo College,” Larry Adams, co-adviser of Phi Theta Kappa, said. “They have reached a milestone in their college careers and the ceremony is a celebration of that achievement and a way to encourage each student to continue on their path of excellence and road to achieving their goals. It is very rewarding to see students succeed at this level and also see their family and friends be recognized for supporting them along the way.”
Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,285 chapters on campuses in all 50 states and at least 10 other countries.
The mission of PTK is to recognize academic achievement of community college students and to provide opportunities for them to grow as scholars and leaders. That is the sole purpose of the chapter at Amarillo College, according to members. Students develop lifelong relationships and have a great time in the process, members said.
An elected team of officers leads numerous initiatives throughout the year to serve the campus and community. They organize several campus and community service projects and participate in a global honors project each year.
The officers also attend an honors conference, leadership conference, district and regional conferences and an international conference each year.
During the year, the officers and members work on various projects related to the college project and honors research. This year the chapter won awards of merit for both its Honors In Action project and its college project.
One of the officers, Citlaly Zamarippa, received recognition as Outstanding Chapter Officer in the Texas region.
Larry Adams was awarded the Horizon award for his work as an adviser in the Region. “These are huge honors for our students and excellent recognition for the college,” Zamarippa said.
Lexi Reyes is the current president of AC’s PTK chapter. Her job position includes helping with general meetings, working to recruit new active members, helping fellow officers fulfill their roles, helping new members better understand what Phi Theta Kappa is and making sure the organization is known on campus.
She has been president for almost a year now. She has just recently finished her term as a regional officer of the Texas region.
“From my personal experience, I know the amazing opportunities that Phi Theta Kappa can offer and it’s exciting to see these new members be given a chance to take advantage of these wonderful opportunities. I hope that these students will take an active role within the society and even pursue leadership roles as well. Since I will be finishing my term as president soon, it’s exciting to see the new members that could be an officer for next year,” said Reyes.
“My advice would be to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Step out of your comfort zone. I promise that whatever you put into Phi Theta Kappa it will be given back to you 10 times over. Don’t be afraid to take the risk.“
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