65 Phi Theta Kappa Members Participate in Inaugural Scholar Conference

JACKSON, MS – Sixty-five Phi Theta Kappa members from across the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands participated in the Inaugural Scholar Conference held January 19-23 in Washington, D.C.

Esteban Smith attended the Inaugural Scholar Program.

D.C. area alumni visit with Dr. Risley.

The Collegiate Presidential Inaugural Conference is a non-partisan educational event, held in Washington, D.C., in celebration of the inauguration of the President and Vice President of the United States. The Conference is hosted by Envision EMI, an education company and Phi Theta Kappa partner based in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

The conference provides college students with a unique opportunity to explore the presidency, interact with political experts and analysts, network with leaders of both political parties and take part in the excitement of the 57th U.S. Presidential Inauguration.

Students had the opportunity to hear from Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in addition to James Carville and Mary Matalin, co-authors of All’s Fair: Love, War and Running for President. Participants witnessed the inauguration ceremony, inaugural parade, and attended an exclusive Black Tie Gala Inaugural Celebration.

Among the attendees was 2011-2012 Division II International Vice President Esteban Smith, who is currently pursuing a baccalaureate degree at Texas A&M Commerce. "The Inauguration was one of the most incredible and unifying events I have ever been fortunate enough to attend,” Smith said. “It instills a level of pride and respect for the country that no other occasion can muster."

In addition, more than 50 Phi Theta Kappa alumni, advisors and friends attended an inaugural reception hosted by Envision, Phi Theta Kappa CEO Dr. Rod Risley and Phi Theta Kappa Foundation CEO Dr. Nancy Rieves in Washington, D.C. on January 19.

Phi Theta Kappa members and alumni who participated in the Inaugural Scholar Conference include:

Jeremy Abreu, Broward College, Florida

Robert Annese, State University of New York at Cortland, New York

Gian Arizmendi, St. Petersburg College, Florida

Rafaela Arosemena Centeno, University of Georgia, Georgia

Sandy Arroyo, Murray State College, Oklahoma

Alan Avitia, Knox College, Illinois

Ekaterina Balakireva, South Puget Sound Community College, Washington

Doreen Bird, Copper Mountain College, California

Jacquelyn Bliss, Metropolitan State University, Minnesota

Diana Body, Malcolm X College, Illinois

Jennifer Bowen, Ohio Business College, Ohio

Fred Buhler, University of Michigan, Michigan

Jennifer Cammuso, Montgomery College, Maryland

Janice Colombo, Berkeley College, New Jersey

Michael Cox, Sierra College, California

Lois Dayton, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma

Dina G. De Campos, Central Arizona College, Arizona

Karina Desmond, New Jersey

Danielle Endo, University of Hawaii, Hawaii

Melissa Fajardo, Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York

Hugo Flores, Nassau Community College, New York

Jerry Foster, Houston Community College, Texas

Zihan Gao, University of California-Los Angeles, California

Rachel Garten, Saint Charles Community College, Missouri

Gabriel Giganti, Florida International University, Florida

Natasha Good, Scottsdale Community College, Arizona

Heather Gough, Mount Royal University, Alberta (Canada)

Courtney Hara, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii

Jazmin Harb, University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado

Kassie Johnson, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Illinois

Karen Lewandowski, Hillsborough Community College, Florida

Tsz Ting Li, University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

Feifei Liu, Colorado State University, Colorado

Amanda Martin, Nova Southeastern University, Florida

Mahshid Mashayekhi,  Palomar College, California

Lucinda Mcconnell, Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York

Jackie McGovern, North Hennepin Community College, Minnesota

Judy Meyers-Prine, St. Petersburg College, Florida

Dorothy Michaels, Molloy College, New York

Tabatha Miller, Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia

Nandar Min, McLennan Community College, Texas

Charles Norton, Tarrant County College, Texas

Chelsea Oliverio, Wayne County Community College, Michigan

Lisa Priem, Northern Arizona University/Coconino Community College, Arizona

Sebastian Puerta, SUNY-Westchester Community College, New York

Ayesha Pushpo, SUNY-Suffolk County Community College, New York

Se-Ri Pyo, La Guardia Community College, New York

Teresa Rakowski, Tidewater Community College, Virginia

Stephanie Roseberry, Arizona State University, Arizona

Narges Sayid, De Anza College, California

Nicole  Schuyler, Hillsborough Community College, Florida

Heather Seger, University of Michigan, Michigan

Sonya Shellman, Wayne County Community College, Michigan

Sharon Shelton, Gwinnett Technical College, Georgia

Courtney Slaton, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia

Esteban Smith, H. Lavity Stoutt Community College/Texas A & M University, British Virgin Islands

Deborah Suer, College of the Desert, California

Jenny Tavarez, SUNY Tompkins Cortland Community College, New York

Sheila Vaughn, Indian Hills Community College, Iowa

Ann Vick, Butler County Community College, Kansas

Alex Way, Lane Community College, Oregon

Samantha Williams, Whatcom Community College, Washington

Janet Woolfit, Central Arizona College, Arizona

Terilynn Zengerle. Coastal Bend College, Texas

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Miss., is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,285 chapters on college campuses in all 50 of the United States, plus Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, Peru, 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 2.5 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 135,000 students inducted annually. For more information, visit www.ptk.org.

The Phi Theta Kappa Foundation is focused on long-term financial stability for Phi Theta Kappa. It is dependent upon the generosity of individuals, organizations, foundations and corporations to ensure its future through support of existing and establishment of new endowment funds. For more information on how to contribute to scholarships for Phi Theta Kappa members through the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation, visit http://www.ptkfoundation.org or contact Dr. Nancy Rieves, CEO, at 1.800.946.9995, ext. 3537.