Congresswoman Named Phi Theta Kappa's 2008 Distinguished Alumnus

Jackson, MS - Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic woman and first Cuban-American elected to the U.S. Congress, accepted Phi Theta Kappa's 2008 Distinguished Alumna Award during the Society's International Convention in Philadelphia.

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has supported legislation for environmental development and restoration, to protect coastlines from offshore drilling, to preserve Florida's threatened coral reefs and to raise awareness of the need for environmental responsibility. She has also been involved in lobbying for funding for breast cancer, and has been a strong advocate of programs that address violence against women.

Her long involvement in foreign affairs includes service as a senior member on the International Relations Committee, Chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, the Subcommittee on Africa, the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, and Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

Phi Theta Kappa began formally recognizing its Most Distinguished Alumni in 1970. When appropriate, the Society has selected a recipient who has, through his or her professional or personal endeavors, provided substantive contributions toward improving the quality of life on national or international levels. Phi Theta Kappa has bestowed this honor on only 35 individuals. Past recipients have included journalist Jim Lehrer of the McNeil-Lehrer Newshour, former United Nations Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, The 700 Club co-host Ben Kinchlow, country music entertainers Rudy Gatlin and Trisha Yearwood, industrialist H. Ross Perot, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, musical conductor Gerald Steichen, figure skater Michael Weiss, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mirta Ojito.

Phi Theta Kappa's Executive Director Rod A. Risley said in presenting the award, "Today, we bestow this honor on another member of the Phi Theta Kappa family - an extraordinary individual, whose distinguished career as a public servant includes many firsts. She is the first Cuban-born woman to hold a seat in the Florida legislature, and the first Cuban American - not to mention the first Hispanic female - to make it to the U.S. Congress. In Congress, she has worked tirelessly for education, for the environment, and for democracy."

Barbara Wolf, Phi Theta Kappa 2000-2001 Southern Vice President who interned in the Congresswoman's office, and Danielle Smith, president of the Omicron Tau Chapter at Miami-Dade College, presented Ros-Lehtinen with a plaque and Phi Theta Kappa pin.

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is the largest honor society in American higher education with 1,250 chapters on two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than two million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 100,000 students inducted annually.

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