Twenty-three 黄色短视频 students were inducted into , the nation鈥檚 oldest honor society, on May 16. Among them was Cara DeLacluyse, a senior marine science student from Third Lake, Illinois. Her mother, Mary, clapped and cheered from the audience.
When Mary first heard the news of her daughter鈥檚 induction, she changed her flight from Chicago to attend the ceremony. Mary also is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and she always wished the same for her daughter.
鈥淭o have my mom at the induction ceremony meant the world to me,鈥 Cara said.
Eckerd is home to the Zeta chapter of Florida and was the sixth of eight Florida schools to establish a chapter. Dean Emeritus of Faculty Lloyd Chapin, Ph.D., worked tirelessly to establish the chapter, as Lisa Bonner Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and president of the Zeta chapter of Florida, noted at the ceremony. At the time, the College was less than 50 years old鈥攆ounding a chapter as such a young institution was quite an honor. Since 2004, when Eckerd鈥檚 chapter was officially sealed, 460 students have been inducted. It is typical for less than 10% of each graduating class to meet the requirements for Phi Beta Kappa, which are a 3.75 GPA in liberal arts coursework and at least two years of language study.
鈥淭he language requirement is the biggest hurdle for students,鈥 Bonner explained. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 an important skill because it uses a different part of the brain.鈥
This year鈥檚 cohort of inductees speaks nine languages collectively鈥攊ncluding Hindi, Latin and Arabic. Cara chose to minor in visual arts and Spanish, which equipped her to study abroad in Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands and Spain. Now that she has graduated with high honors and the Marine Science Academic Excellence Award, she plans to teach English in Spain and continue mastering the Spanish language.
鈥淚 grew up as an overachiever,鈥 Cara said. 鈥淏eing inducted into Phi Beta Kappa feels both very validating and an exciting culmination of all of our hard work.鈥
There are a plethora of benefits that come with membership in the society鈥攊ncluding internships, scholarships and fellowships. Eckerd fully covers lifelong membership.
Not every school has the capacity to do that, and Bonner notes that we are fortunate to have very involved faculty, such as the late Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Peter Pav, who have contributed to endowments that honor students鈥 diligence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for students who are at the top of their game to be recognized,鈥 Bonner said.
One such honor is the Peter Pav First-Year Scholar Award, which recognizes students who finish their first year with a 4.0 GPA. Cara became a Peter Pav First-Year Scholar in 2021, the year the award鈥檚 namesake died. But his support of student excellence has endured.
Her Autumn Term mentor, Michael Hilton, Ph. D., assistant professor of computer science, came to the PBK ceremony to celebrate Cara鈥檚 successes since her first semester at Eckerd.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been there throughout my four years of college,鈥 Cara said, 鈥渁nd he met my mom today鈥攕o it was all very special.鈥
2024 Phi Beta Kappa Inductees
Juniors
- Lyla Blanchard
- Jimmy Knudson
- Sofi Juarez Mora
Seniors
- Payton Bivens
- Jane Bodor
- Kolin Cook
- Tom Covington
- Cara DeLacluyse
- Ava Evans
- Ali Henes
- Aarushi Gandhi
- Ella Glass
- Brooks Jordan
- Andrew Kennedy
- Jenny Le
- Abigail O鈥橠onnell
- Isa Redinger
- Madelyne Reifsteck
- Kayla Rendon-Torres
- Arik Suez
- Alexis Vargas
- Thomas White
- Daisy Wischmeyer