By Maisarah Miskoon
Liberal Arts/English Major
The sun was setting in the horizon as students and their respective families and friends assembled at the Jewett Auditorium on the 23rd of November for the prestigious event. On that faithful Sunday evening, more than thirty new members of Phi Theta Kappa were recognized for their academic achievements and inducted into a growing group of motivated students in SMCC.

Jason Glynn, the current President of Alpha Chi Nu, SMCC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, started off the ceremony by introducing President Cantor, who gave a poignant speech about the significance of being prepared, beginning with a humorous anecdote involving his youngest daughter and her overzealous attitude about her expedition.

His speech was not the only inspirational speech of the evening as two other highly esteemed individuals succeeded him. The first guest speaker was an SMCC alumnus and the former New England Region Northern Vice-President, Quang Nguyen, who expressed the lessons he had learned from life and the opportunities and scholarships he had seized as a Phi Theta Kappa member. The speaker who succeeded him was the current Northern Vice-President, Ali Sekou, who gave a loquacious speech that echoed his predecessor’s sentiments with his own experiences coming to America and finding success here. Ali incessantly urged every one of the inductees to stay motivated and make the most out of their time in college, getting connected and involved.

The two honorary members, Madelyn Holm and Joleen Kitteridge, were inaugurated first before everyone else. These two individuals had contributed greatly to the Honor Society and were nominated by the current officer team. Ms. Holm, who is an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer working at the CeSIL (Center for Student Involvement and Leadership), has been relentless in her contribution and dedication to the Captain’s Cupboard, the on-campus food pantry in SMCC. She has poured her heart and soul into organizing and coordinating on-campus events such as the Spring Festival and Sexual Awareness Week; her nomination was inevitable. Ms. Kitteridge, a second year student majoring in Business, is a dedicated member of the Business Club and is responsible for most of the artwork on “Dirty Business” flyers.

The ceremony then proceeded to the Induction. First, Inductees were asked to recite a pledge of allegiance to the society and uphold the values of Leadership, Scholarship, Fellowship, and Service. As the names of each Inductee were said out loud, they were presented with the ceremonial guest book to sign, sunset orange embroidered stoles were draped over their proud shoulders, torches were lit, and they received roses which symbolized beauty of intellectual friendships. Subsequently, each name was read and every torch lit, the new inductees were “charged” by Mr. David Stankiewicz, Co-Advisor of the honors society, and became official members of Phi Theta Kappa.

Many, like Troy Greenip and Erik Squire, were excited to learn more about the organization after the ceremony. Garrick Hoffman, one of the new members of Phi Theta Kappa, said that he was honored to be a part of a highly-motivated group of students who “were prospering [and] held education[and themselves] to a high esteem” and “felt [that he] was in the right family.” President Cantor, handsomely clad in black robes and golden stole, posed for pictures with many of the new members. Everyone was in high spirits as the ceremony went by without a hitch and people went home clutching white roses in their hands.