Academic achievement and service were celebrated May 8 as Central Carolina Community College’s Beta Sigma Phi Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society held its spring induction ceremony.
Inductees from 2022-2023 were recognized during the ceremony.
Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education. In 1929, the American Association of Community Colleges recognized PTK as the official honor society for two-year colleges. The CCCC chapter, chartered in 2010, sets a higher standard for membership eligibility than the national organization: a 3.7 grade point average rather than the 3.5 GPA that national requires.
Guest speakers were Dr. Kristi Short, CCCC Vice President/Chief Academic Officer, and Karmisha Hernandez Luciano, Veterans Upward Bound Assistant Programs Director (Interim) and PTK alumnus.
Dr. Short said that PTK membership is an invitation to join a community of motivated, enthusiastic students who prioritize academics and understand the necessity of leadership and the value of service. “Phi Theta Kappa members enrich CCCC with their engagement in our classrooms, positive energy, and desire to continually improve our college and community,” she said. “Phi Theta Kappa has strong support at the college. The organization has not one, but three, advisors you’ll meet this evening. We believe active membership in Phi Theta Kappa can help students reach their full potential, and we are committed to supporting the chapter and its work.
“Inductees, the college applauds your dedication and hard work recognized this evening. We encourage you to celebrate this great accomplishment and to move forward with a renewed commitment to learning, growing, and giving back. We can’t wait to see what you do next,” said Dr. Short.
Hernandez Luciano, in sharing her own collegiate experiences, encouraged the new PTK inductees. “I am here to remind you that you have inside of you everything you need to succeed in anything you set your mind to do,” she said. “The sky’s the limit, as they say …”
“Being a part of Phi Theta Kappa means that you’re part of a community of people who share your values, your interests, and your aspirations. It’s a place where you can connect with others, share your ideas and experiences, and feel supported in your journey,” said Hernandez Luciano.
“As you progress in your journey as members of Phi Theta Kappa, I want to remind you that embodying these principles in your everyday life will help you achieve your goals and reach your full potential. Communication, engagement, honor, integrity, and a sense of belonging are essential components of success, and incorporating them into your daily life will not only benefit you, but also those around you.”
Phi Theta Kappa is composed of Greek words symbolizing wisdom, aspiration, and purity. A white rose symbolizes purity, beauty of life, and intellectual associations, while the oak and laurel leaves on the PTK emblem represent stability, character, achievement, and success.
CCCC Phi Theta Kappa officers are: Isaac Alvarado, President; Celeste Ramirez Gonzalez, Vice President of Fellowship; Alliayah Christine Lovejoy, Vice President of Leadership; Loria Funes Benitez, Vice President of Service; William Campbell Fergusson, Treasurer; and Isabella Rubio, Recording Officer.
Advisors are Sandra Castonguay, Department Chair of Information and Engineering Technologies; Kelly Dorman, Department Chair of Criminal Justice Studies, and Becky Finken, English Instructor.
In its years of existence, the college’s Beta Sigma Phi Chapter has garnered a number of prestigious recognitions from PTK. These include the Five-Star ranking — the highest ranking a chapter can receive for excellence, and awards at regional PTK conferences. It has also reached out to the community with service projects, such as assisting food banks and shelters.
The 2023 inductees are:
Shelly Alwine (Lillington, NC)
Samantha Andrews (Siler City, NC)
April Armstrong (Spring Lake, NC)
Trisha Arvind (Chapel Hill, NC)
Ashley Ball (Ramseur, NC)
Mystique Barnes (Fayetteville, NC)
Kira Barringer (Chapel Hill, NC)
Jedd Bartlett (Cary, NC)
Lucas Beaulieu (Pittsboro, NC)
Marek Beaulieu (Pittsboro, NC)
Thomas Beck (Lillington, NC)
Carolyn Belk (Goldston, NC)
Loria Benitez-Funes (Sanford, NC)
Olivia Bimler (Sanford, NC)
Anna Blackmon (Erwin, NC)
Bret Blair (Pittsboro, NC)
Stephanie Blalock (Lillington , NC)
Avery Blegen (Lillington, NC)
Donald Bridges (Sanford, NC)
Megan Brower (Cameron, NC)
Karli Bullard (Sanford, NC)
Kaitlyn Caron (Spring Lake, NC)
William Carter (Bear Creek, NC)
Richard Castle (Sanford, NC)
Ladeja Charles (Chapel Hill, NC)
Robert Clayton (Spring Lake, NC)
Jacob Cline (Siler City, NC)
Rodora Critchett (West End, NC)
Evan Crouch (Chapel Hill, NC)
Carter Daughtry (Dunn, NC)
Reece Daughtry (Dunn, NC)
Erika Davis (Sanford, NC)
Kristina Decker (Point Roberts, WA)
Emily Denning (Angier, NC)
Daphne Dew (Sanford, NC)
Ar’Yana Dupuis (Lillington, NC)
Shea Dupuis (Lillington, NC)
Sarah Emrich (Pittsboro, NC)
Lauren Emrich (Pittsboro, NC)
Maria Esperanza (Sanford, NC)
Preston Evans (Sanford, NC)
Gene Faircloth (Willow Spring, NC)
Carrie Foster (Sanford, NC)
Ian Frye (Sanford, NC)
Kenise Geffrard (Sanford, NC)
Trenton Gregory (Lillington, NC)
Gretchen Gunter (Apex, NC)
Eliza Hall (Pittsboro, NC)
Nathan Hall (Holly Springs, NC)
Christine Hart (Sanford, NC)
Devon Hayes (Fuquay-Varina, NC)
Cadie Henderson (Flat Rock, NC)
Alyssa Hess (Spring Lake, NC)
Thaddeus Hickman (Fuquay-Varina, NC)
Carole Hoel (Sanford, NC)
Rhyleigh Horne (Angier, NC)
Troy Howard (Moncure, NC)
Amanda Howard (Sanford, NC)
Virginia Hutchins (Lillington, NC)
William Isgett (Pittsboro, NC)
Rosalba Jaimes Tapia (Siler City, NC)
Edward Jarquin Perez (Sanford, NC)
Yvonne Johnson (Sanford, NC)
Leah Jones (Bear Creek, NC)
Taylor Jones (Siler City, NC)
Mia Jones (Cameron, NC)
Martin Juarez (Sanford, NC)
Robin Kane (Sanford, NC)
Billie Kay (Sanford, NC)
Elayna Keesee (Sanford, NC)
Tara Kelsey (Sanford, NC)
Deana Kemp (Cameron, NC)
Ainsley Kimble (Sanford, NC)
Dylan King (Sanford, NC)
Daniel Knight (Chapel Hill, NC)
Arianna Krajewski (Chapel Hill, NC)
Betsy Langhans (Madison Heights, VA)
Hailey Langston (Sanford, NC)
Kourtney Leath (Sanford, NC)
Kayla Lee (Dunn, NC)
Gage Lindley (Siler City, NC)
Andrew Lochrie (Sanford, NC)
Julio Lopez (Coats, NC)
Evelyn Lopez Castillo (Sanford, NC)
Alliayah Lovejoy (Sanford, NC)
Isaiah Martin (Sanford, NC)
Arianna Massie (Pittsboro, NC)
Jason McCracken (Broadway, NC)
Claire McDonald (Sanford, NC)
Phoebe McKinney (Sanford, NC)
Lorrell McNeill (Warsaw, NC)
Alyssa McWhirter (Cameron, NC)
Estefani Merida Lopez (Siler City, NC)
Zoe Meyer (Sanford, NC)
Hailey Monday (Sanford, NC)
Abigail Motteler (Chapel Hill, NC)
Johnathan Mouser (Sanford, NC)
Brianna Murchison (Sanford, NC)
Valerie Nunn (Sanford, NC)
Samantha O’Hare (Sanford, NC)
Andrew Parker (Pittsboro, NC)
Garin Parker (Carthage, NC)
Holly Patterson (Robbins, NC)
Alyson Pedley (Sanford, NC)
Kate Perez (Dunn, NC)
Joshua Peters (Sanford, NC)
Ellie Phillips (Sanford ,NC)
Megan Plotts (Snow Camp, NC)
Celeste Ramirez Gonzalez (Sanford, NC)
Brook Reberger (Sanford, NC)
Stephen Reeves (Raeford, NC)
William Rhodes (Sanford, NC)
Sara Richardson (Chapel Hill, NC)
Austin Rigsbee (Chapel Hill, NC)
Laila Robinson (Dunn, NC)
Ella Rohn (Fuquay-Varina, NC)
Latisha Sanchez (Broadway, NC)
Cameron Sanders (Apex, NC)
Paige Smith (Sanford, NC)
Aine Sotillo (Sanford, NC)
Duncan Steinson (Sanford, NC)
Cameo Strifler (Spring Lake, NC)
Christopher Syros (Wake Forest, NC)
Dana Szpunar (Siler City, NC)
Allyson Tart (Coats, NC)
Ayden Taylor (Sanford, NC)
Aspen Taylor (Sanford, NC)
Haley Tew (Linden, NC)
Autumn Tibbitts (Sanford, NC)
Katelyn Tijerina (Chapel Hill, NC)
Stephanie Tran (Sanford, NC)
Sara Turner (Chapel Hill, NC)
Jerry Tyson (Cameron, NC)
Maegan Underwood (Sanford, NC)
Nathaniel Underwood (Sanford, NC)
Kennedy Utley (Sanford, NC)
Brianna Vandewalker (Lillington, NC)
Omaryah Vargas (Sanford, NC)
Ana Vasquez (Siler City, NC)
Jonathan Velasquez Ramos (Sanford, NC)
Jamie Warren (Fayetteville, NC)
Skylar Wegner (Fuquay, NC)
Clifton Whilby (Sanford, NC)
Victoria Willcox (Southern Pines, NC)
Alexander Williams (Siler City, NC)
Ethan Wilson (Pittsboro, NC)
Jarita Wrede (Cameron, NC)
Ania Yarish (Bear Creek, NC)
Noah Ziebart (Sanford, NC)
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
