Traditional ceremony greets 2019 inductees into honor society

Phi Theta Kappa inductees held a candle as they strode into their ceremony. Intellectual candle power is one reason they were there.

PTK is an honor society that encourages scholarship, develops leadership skills and inspires academic excellence, said advisor Myriam Moody, a professor of mathematics.

Membership is exclusive. PTK requires a 3.5 GPA and a one-time membership fee of $100.

PTK officer Jenai Funk said the club provides life-changing opportunities.

“It has so many benefits,” she said. “When you want to transfer to a university and you say you’re a Phi Theta Kappa member, they open the doors to you. They know you’re an honor student.”

PTK Advisor Myriam Moody kicked off the ceremony. She explained the society’s purpose and graciously thanked everyone for attending. Then three students talked about PTK’s history, its beginning at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and an eventual recognition as the official honor society by The American Association of Community Colleges.

SC Professor of Anatomy Dr. Allison Green was the keynote speaker.

“In high school I realized that education was going to be my way out,” she said. “It was going to be my way to change my narrative. It was my way to go from a scared, neglected little girl to becoming a strong, educated, independent woman.”

Green, who earned a Ph.D. at USC, said her passion for education took her far. She was hired as tenure track faculty in 2014.

“Education is now part of your life and it’s going to change your narrative forever,” she said. “And it’s going to be a narrative of success.”

Moody and MSE Dean Dr. Michael Odu introduced each student, including an aspiring U.S. Supreme Court justice and an aspiring Peace Corps volunteer.

Each inductee signed their name onto a PTK membership book. They lit candles, signifying knowledge and wisdom, and accepted a white rose from a beaming Green, signifying intellectual friendship.

Funk said it was inspiring to welcome new PTK members.

Meetings take place every two weeks. They go over fundraisers, birthdays and events over slices of pizza. She said members can always lean on each other and provide motivation.

“It’s a family,” she said. “And our goal is to change the world little by little.”