Montgomery County Community College celebrated the induction of 127 students into the Alpha Kappa Zeta Chapter of the Phi Theta Kapa (PTK) international honor society for two-year colleges for the fall 2022 semester.

MCCC has two PTK chapters – Alpha Kappa Zeta at the Blue Bell Campus and Beta Tau Lambda at the Pottstown Campus. Both chapters have attained five-star status, the highest rank a chapter can earn. Dr. Catherine Parzynski, History Assistant Professor, and Dr. Cathy Hoult Shewring, History Professor, are the advisers for Alpha Kappa Zeta, and Douglas Powell, History Assistant Professor, and Meredith Frank, Communications Studies Instructor, are the advisers for Beta Tau Lambda.

To be eligible for this elite honor, students must earn a minimum of 12 credits, maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and be of good moral character.

The online video induction ceremony for the Alpha Kappa Zeta Chapter started with a congratulatory message from MCCC’s President, Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez.

“As the newest members of PTK, you exemplify the four hallmarks of scholarship, fellowship, leadership and service. You have demonstrated your commitment to these hallmarks both inside and outside of the classroom, serving as members of clubs, on athletic teams, leading outreach initiatives in our communities and, of course, for your academic coursework,” President Bastecki-Perez said. “On behalf of the entire Montco Family, including our Board of Trustees, your fellow students, our faculty, staff and alumni of more than 90,000 members and, of course, myself, we are proud of your efforts and your continued work as you pursue your academic goals. Congratulations on a job well done.”

The inductees are joining a scholarly fellowship that embraces not only community college students in the United States but also nationally and internationally, said Dr. Parzynski. Phi Theta Kappa was founded in 1918 and officially recognized in 1929 by the Association of American Community Colleges. Today, it has grown from the original eight chapters to more than 1,300 and it encompasses more than 3.5 million members worldwide.

“Phi Theta Kappa becomes more than a club – its members enter into an intellectual fellowship that extends beyond our College to regional, national and international networks. In the Alpha Kappa Zeta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, our new members will find an atmosphere of scholarship,” Dr. Parzynski.

The Alpha Kappa Zeta inductees for fall 2022 are Omar Ali, Ryan Alrutz, Thalya Asari, Hasanah Bahaadur, Ashley Barndt, Abigail Bautista, Danielle Black, Michael Blackman, Raven Braun, Ellysha Brunt, Emily Buckwalter, Juan Ceballos-Gutierrez, Regan Cherelli, Skylar Cianchetta, Guy Cimini, Nina Clark, Isabella Coluccio, Kelly Cooperrider, Beatrice Culbertson, Aislinn Curran, Talia Czop, Jack Demtshuk, Jeremiah Diaz, Jessica Dill, Robert Dreher, Katelyn Durst, Shelly Dusing, Summer Elsayed, Virginia Emery, Alicia Fairer, Jenna Feldman, Lara Ferreira, Katie Ferrier, Sarah Flynn, Jennifer Fry, Julia Gallo, Marguerite Gelfin, Sara Gilani, Nicholas Greer, Katherine Grohowski, Rebecca Hansell, Tracey Hawley, Audrey Hayes, Daniel Hayes, Kristina Heebner, Lindsay Hellmann, Ashley Henrick, Laura Hoffman, Samantha Intoppa, Christian Izzo, Brooklyn Jackson, Noah Johnson, Ashley Justice, Sean Kahl, Anna Kanolash, Eric Kim, Amie Klein, Rebecca Klick, Celia Koehl, Kelsey Labarbera, Jieun Lee, Emily Lenhart, Madelin Lopez Olivo, Ewa Luczaj, Seth Lyles, Hannah Marshall, Sabrina May, Laura McMurtrie, Monica McNally, Rina Mejia, Luke Menke, Dimitrie Meyer, Samantha Minissale, Minguk Moon, Brendan Moor, Chloe Morales, Paola Morales, Denise Mottola, Kevin Motz, Gisselle Muraira, Briana Myall, Karen Myers, Kelly Natter, Gabriela Ochoa-Ceja, Fatima Ouadah, Tanheng Oun, Rudra Patel, Ashton Pearce, Tyler Pearce, Erica Pilla, Carter Pugh, Erin Raftery, Kh Mahbubur Rahman, Abhijay Rao Mallya, Emilyrose Rarrick, Callisa Rebitz, Traci Rexer, Kayla Riley, Dayeilis Rivera, William Roberts, Victoria Rosenbaum, Kyle Ruder, Zachary Rush, Jameson Ruth, Yusuf Sarac, Liesl Scheuren, Nicholas Scoma, Alina Seifert, John Smallwood, Leah Smith, Kirstin Snyder, Brandon Somoza-Ascencio, Christopher Stenta, Brittany Strassel, Caroline Tilson, Moiz Uddin, Patricia Viana Martins, Rachael Weller, Philip Wetzel, Carl Williams, Catarina Wollard, Alivia Yablonsky, Jeong Min Yi and Heather Young.

This year’s officers are William Moser, President; Bill Roberts, Vice President of Leadership; Jessica Dill, Vice President of Scholarship; Katharine Boyle, Secretary; and Marguerite “Rosie” Gelfin, Recording Officer/Public Relations.

There are numerous benefits to being inducted as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, including special recognition during the induction ceremony and at commencement, scholarships, career training opportunities, transfer success, leadership development, and member discounts.