Phi Theta Kappa expands SSCC student opportunities

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Southern State Community College will conduct its Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society new student member induction ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, April 22, on the college’s Brown County Campus, 351 Brooks Malott Road, Mt. Orab.

“Becoming a member of Phi Theta Kappa is an honor that fewer than 1 percent of students experience,” said Connie Huber, SSCC’s Phi Theta Kappa adviser. “Students will be inducted into the local chapter Alpha Omicron Eta, as well as an elite international group of high achievers. The opportunities with Phi Theta Kappa are countless and the possibilities are limitless.”

Scott Pena will be inducted as the first honorary member of the Alpha Omicron Eta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. A retired lieutenant of the U.S. Navy, Pena actively promotes the local chapter through his work with Southern State students transferring to Wilmington College where he serves as a recruitment and enrollment specialist.

“Throughout my entire career in the military and after that, one area that remained a constant for me was continuing with my college education. Completing my college degrees has meant achieving a high level of success in my life, accomplishing a goal that can never be taken from me. First, I earned my associate’s degree, then my bachelor’s degree, then finally my master’s degree. The key to my professional achievements was taking that first step in earning an associate’s degree, which served as a strong, solid foundation for all of my future educational goals.”

Retired Lt. Col. Kristine Wood has been selected to address the new inductees as the keynote speaker. Wood worked as part the International Security Assistance Force Regional Command North, which supports Afghan National Security Forces in close coordination and collaboration in providing security and disrupting insurgent activities in order to protect the Afghan population. She also served as the operations officer in the Provost Marshal Office at International Security Assistance Force’s Regional Command North Headquarters. As part of her duties, she was responsible for coordinating U.S. and coalition military police operations throughout the northern region. Her job also entailed partnering with Afghan police in matters of training and human rights.

“Kris Wood’s military background gives her a connection to the honorary inductee, and her leadership expertise has benefited Phi Theta Kappa greatly. Through conducting a leadership and team-building exercise for the Alpha Omicron Eta officers, she developed a great rapport with the students they chose to invite her to speak at this landmark induction ceremony,” a news release from Southern State said.

ALL-OHIO ACADEMIC TEAM – Five SSCC students recently earned Phi Theta Kappa’s All-Ohio Academic Team honors and will be honored at recognition luncheon April 21 at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium in Columbus.

Joel Colon was selected as a first team member of the All-Ohio Academic Team. Selected as third team members of the All-Ohio Academic Team are Cynthia Gullett, Brittny Rising, Jeremy Vanderpool and Brandy Yates.

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE – Southern State’s chapter members attended NerdNation 2016, Phi Theta Kappa’s national leadership conference, April 6-10 in Washington, D.C. This is the first year Southern State has had a delegation at the annual event.

LOCAL CHAPTER – Participation in the local chapter of Phi Theta Kappa continues to grow, with a 34-percent increase in new members in the last enrollment period. An anticipated 20-percent increase is expected this enrollment period.

To be eligible for membership, students must enroll full-time and maintain a 3.5 cumulative grade point average. For more information on member activities and benefits, visit www.sscc.edu/students/ptk.

ABOUT PHI THETA KAPPA – Phi Theta Kappa is higher education’s largest honor society with 1,285 chapters on college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, Peru, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions.

More than 3 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 134,000 students inducted annually.

To learn more, visit www.ptk.org.

Submitted by Kris Cross, SSCC community relations director.

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