Phi Theta Kappa inducts 10 new members

MOSES LAKE —Ten Big Bend Community College students have officially become members of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society following the organization’s fall induction ceremony Tuesday evening.

New inductees took the oath of membership in front of family and friends after hearing from guest speaker Alissa Scriven, who has worked in higher education for over three years at Central Washington University-Moses Lake. BBCC president Dr. Terry Leas presented each new member with a white rose during the ceremony to signify their achievement.

Phi Theta Kappa members also recognized advisor Barbara Whitney during the ceremony. Whitney has served as advisor of the Big Bend chapter for 22 years and has hosted 66 induction ceremonies for hundreds of members in that time.

The fall induction ceremony was her last as she will be retiring.

During her years with Phi Theta Kappa she has also earned the following accolades: Top 100 Chapters (1998), Leadership Hallmark Award (1998), Paragon Award for New Advisors (1999), Distinguished Advisor Award (2004 and 2013), Continued Excellence Award (2013) and the Continued Excellence Award for Advisor (2015).

“The informal definition of a PTK advisor is a counselor, listener, shoulder to cry on, superhero cape-wearer and pep-talk giver. Ms. Whitney is all of this and more,” said fellow advisor Melinda Dourte.

Phi Theta Kappa was established in 1918 and aims to celebrate the academic achievement of college students and provide them with opportunities to grow as scholars and leaders. The organization is recognized as the official honor society for two-year colleges.

The Rho Zeta Chapter at Big Bend celebrated its 50^th anniversary last year. They recently received the prestigious Five-Star chapter designation.

Eligibility for membership includes a grade point average of at least 3.4 and recommendation from a faculty member. In addition, students wanting to join Phi Theta Kappa must have completed a minimum of 15 semester hours at BBCC and must be enrolled for a minimum of 15 academic semester hours during the current semester.

The new students inducted were: Tabatha Billings, Moses Lake; Michael Flores, Moses Lake; Shalon Gough, Moses Lake; James Lakoduk, Moses Lake; Erin Hawkins, Moses Lake; Kristin Saint-Hillien, Moses Lake; Sohshi Tanaka, Moses Lake; Gabriela Wilson, Ephrata; Josephine Harris, Almira; and Heather Wood, Coulee City.