Nicholas Enoch
Whether you’re a first year student or a student who has been at CCBC for five years, Phi Theta Kappa can be a game changing experience to not only make new friends, but fuel your journey into transferring into a four-year university.
The three main CCBC campuses (Essex, Catonsville, and Dundalk) all have a Phi Theta Kappa honors society with a variety of faculty members, presidents, and other officers. Phi Theta Kappa hosts a variety of events over the course of the academic year, with the hope of recruiting new members or getting people more interested in learning more about Phi Theta Kappa.
The Phi Theta Kappa Honor’s Society Website states that, “The mission of Phi Theta Kappa is to recognize academic achievement of college students and to provide opportunities for them to grow as scholars and leaders.”
Phi Theta Kappa’s main goal is to recognize the academic achievements of the students and provide them with the tools they need in order to succeed at their current college and at a four-year university. Phi Theta Kappa helps tremendously with scholarships and providing students the opportunity to apply for scholarships to help aid them in paying their tuition. Some other actions they help with as well are service projects, recruitment, and so many more!
Cyril Ikeh, a former CCBC Essex Alumni, a former CCBC Ambassador, and the former Phi Theta Kappa President at the CCBC Essex Campus for the Chi Theta Chapter states that since graduating CCBC Essex as the Phi Theta Kappa President, “I have been able to communicate better with people in general. As a leader I have recognized the strengths and differences in the people who I have worked with then and now.”
Ikeh was the President of Phi Theta chapter during the 2017-2018 academic year, and he states that he sees the future of Phi Theta Kappa looking bright.
“I am happy about the state of things and the progress,” Ikeh said. “I am leaving a legacy with a lot to get done, but with teamwork and everyone working together, Phi Theta Kappa’s future is shining bright.”
Phi Theta Kappa’s responsibilities not only involve the president, but also the other officers as well. Phi Theta Kappa offers officer positions, like Vice President of Members, public relations, service, leadership, and so many more.
All of the officers play a pivotal role in the functioning of Phi Theta Kappa’s bi-weekly Monday meetings and the events they host throughout the semester. The officers take part in two projects throughout the semester, a College Project and an Honors in Action Project.
Heather Kuhn, a Student from the CCBC Essex Campus, an Honors Program member, and the President for Phi Theta Kappa for the 2018-2019 school year, states that, “For the College project, the officers attended a meeting with Dr. Kurtinitis, the president of CCBC, and asked her what she wanted us to do in regard to CCBC’s missions and values,” Kuhn stated. “The second project is Honors in Action. This one was what we spent the majority of the summer on and are still changing every day. We performed research, created a research question, and then performed more research.”
The Honors in Action project, stated by Kuhn, this year is about ending the stigma of mental health and showing people that it is okay to be different. The College Project is about the College Promise Scholarship and promoting it by putting up flyers around campus. This new initiative helps cover tuition and fees for students who have graduated high school recently.
As the newly elected President of Phi Theta Kappa, Kuhn states why people should think about joining Phi Theta Kappa.
“I think more importantly it gives you a community. Generally, in community college, it is difficult to make friends. With PTK, it’s like an immediate home on campus,” Kuhn said. “The second important reason is scholarships. People typically go to a community college and transfer to a four-year university because they don’t have enough money to pay for a university right away.”
Lastly, Kuhn stated that, “PTK gives people the confidence to apply to a university at all or even Ivy League.”
If you have any questions about Phi Theta Kappa or are considering joining Phi Theta Kappa, go to the Phi Theta Kappa office, located in the Administration Building, room 109B on the Essex Campus or contact the advisor, Sue Fenton (sfenton@ccbcmd.edu) for more information
In order to become a member of Phi Theta Kappa, you must have a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 GPA or higher, an application must be filled out, and there is a lifetime fee of $75 that goes along with the application.
Once you are a member, you are a member for life!
Phi Theta Kappa hosts bi-monthly meetings every other Monday in room 107 in the Administration building, from 12:15-1:15pm
Members and non-members can attend the meetings with free pizza at the meetings and tons of information to gain from the meetings from scholarships, financial aid, and so much more!
For more information about what Phi Theta Kappa is, go to the website (https://www.ptk.org/) for more about what the Honors society has to offer.
I’m a first-time freshman at CCBC Essex campus and am currently in the process of applying for Phi Theta Kappa, right after all of my first semester grades are finalized. I am looking forward to it!
“Once you are a member, you are a member for life!”
Sounds like a cult! 😀
For real though, I actually remember being handed a pamphlet on the Honor’s Society and it looked interesting. Glad that they are trying to make make people more aware of mental health, as it is a big problem for college students (especially during finals)
I think a fraternity is a great way to make friends and build bonds and I am thinking about joining.
I think greek life is a great way to make friends and am planning on joining in the near future!