Phi Theta Kappa inducts 19 new members

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

New inductees took the oath of membership in front of family and friends after hearing from guest speaker Dr. Tyler Wallace, who is a Phi Theta Kappa alum and has taught Math at Big Bend since 2005.

Wallace shared some of his academic and professional journey with students, and explained how he came to realize that taking risks was the only reason he was able to progress in life.

“If we don’t take risks, we never see the rewards that come from those risks,” said Wallace. “I challenge you to not just work hard, but as you’re working hard take risks to accomplish what you didn’t think was possible in the beginning.”

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: Caitlin Anderson, Ephrata; Chenoa Bedford, Ephrata; Samantha Boughter, Moses Lake; Tyler Bruegeman, Moses Lake; Nikola Brzezny, Ephrata; Samantha Davis, Moses Lake; Bailey Ditto, Moses Lake; Olivia Fulkerson, Moses Lake; Amarae Hagood, Moses Lake; Tori Johnson, Quincy; Megan Lembcke, Moses Lake; Kennedy Lengenfelder, Moses Lake; Evynn Olson, Moses Lake; Thomas Parham, Moses Lake; Rafael Rivera, Moses Lake; Kamryn Shannon, Ephrata; Cameron Shurtz, Moses Lake; Silvia Silva, Othello; and Jessica Tenorio, Othello.