KU chapter of Phi Beta Kappa announces new initiates


LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society has initiated 91 new members

Jennifer Harrison, president of KU’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and director of the Business Leadership Program and Jack Dicus Business Honors Program, presided at the May 15 ceremony. Initiates were individually recognized, presented with a certificate of membership, and invited to sign their names in the chapter register — a tradition that dates to 1912.

Mary Klayder, associate director of undergraduate studies in the Department of English and University Honors Program lecturer, was inducted as an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa. She spoke to the grit and resiliency initiates have shown since the start of the pandemic in her address titled, “After all this…”

Leah Stein, a graduating senior in sociology who was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 2021, gave the student response address.

Election to Phi Beta Kappa recognizes a student’s high academic achievement while pursuing a broad and substantive liberal arts curriculum. To be eligible for consideration for membership, students must be seniors with a minimum grade-point average of 3.65 on a 4.0 scale or juniors with a minimum 3.9. Anonymous transcripts of candidates are reviewed holistically by a committee of Phi Beta Kappa faculty and staff members.

Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national academic honorary society, was founded Dec. 5, 1776, at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. KU’s Alpha chapter, founded in 1890, was the first chapter west of the Mississippi and is one of 286 Phi Beta Kappa chapters nationwide. About 10% of institutions of higher learning in the United States have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. The chapter’s vice president is Dietrich Earnhart, professor of economics and director of the Center for Environmental Policy. Sarah Crawford-Parker, director of the University Honors Program, serves as the chapter’s historian. The secretary-treasurer is Harry Swartz, assistant director of admissions for the University Honors Program. 

Elected members are listed below:
 

  • Leena Abdelmoity, senior, Overland Park
  • Ross Acree, senior, Shawnee
  • Yasmine Adrian, senior, Lawrence
  • Kelsy Austwick, senior, Mundelein, Illinois
  • Anna Avery, senior, Overland Park
  • Joe Ayres, senior, Overland Park
  • Abby Bellon, senior, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Cydney Berman, senior, Deerfield, Illinois
  • Sofia Berrospi Fernandez, senior, Lima, Peru  
  • Samantha Bower, senior, Glen Ellyn, Illinois
  • Levi Brabec, junior, Olathe
  • Ben Brown, senior, Overland Park
  • Carolyn Burchfield, senior, Iowa Falls, Iowa
  • Delaney Christensen, senior, Gretna, Nebraska
  • Grace Cooper, senior, Lawrence
  • Elena Cox, senior, Overland Park
  • Mary Beth Dlugopolski, senior, Lansing
  • Abbey Doyle, senior, Owasso, Oklahoma
  • Brenne Ernst, senior, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
  • Stephen Fanous, senior, Overland Park
  • Sayan Grover, senior, Overland Park
  • Dulani Hannadige, senior, Colombo, Sri Lanka  
  • Claire Hathcoat, senior, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Megan Heeney, senior, Shawnee
  • Ryan Henn, senior, Lenexa
  • Mary Horttor, junior, St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Jennifer Hudson, senior, Lawrence
  • Emily Hughes, senior, Leawood
  • Taylor Iskalis, senior, Wadsworth, Illinois
  • Sura Jaradat, senior, Wichita
  • Lydia Johnson, senior, Hutchinson
  • Zeeshan Khalid, senior, Lee's Summit, Missouri
  • Humza Khan, senior, Overland Park
  • Anne Kim, senior, Junction City
  • Brett Knepper, senior, Newton
  • Melissa Koppers, junior, Leawood
  • Bella Koscal, senior, Naperville, Illinois
  • Anna Krause, senior, San Jose, California
  • Sandy Kroeker, senior, Colby
  • Christopher Kywe, senior, Leawood
  • Käte-Marie Legler, senior, Norman, Oklahoma
  • Mary Lepper, senior, St. Louis
  • Maya Levee, senior, Austin, Texas
  • Anna Levine, senior, Overland Park
  • Wanheng Li, senior, Meishan, China  
  • Erin Liston, senior, Lawrence
  • Honorah Maggio, senior, Olathe
  • Charlotte Marshall, senior, St. Louis
  • Olivia Michka, senior, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Lainey Monnington, senior, Herington
  • Hesston Murrow, senior, Iola
  • Finneas Nesbitt-Daly, senior, Emporia
  • Quang Nguyen, senior, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Lily Nguyen, senior, Wichita
  • Yukta Pancholi, senior, Mumbai, India  
  • Nikki Phelps, senior, Verona, Wisconsin
  • Ana Cristina Potoret, senior, Lawrence
  • Nicolas Pottorf, senior, Oskaloosa
  • Ellie Prybylski, senior, Suwanee, Georgia
  • Sadie Putnam, senior, Olathe
  • Amy Qiang, senior, Lenexa
  • Emma Renwick, senior, Leawood
  • Olivia Robison, senior, Boise, Idaho
  • Dawson Rooney, senior, Hays
  • Elisabeth Sadler, senior, Omaha, Nebraska
  • Mani Sandhu, senior, Olathe
  • Noah Schnieders, senior, Lenexa
  • Carlos Schwindt, senior, La Crosse
  • Caroline Sharp, junior, Houston
  • Megan Spurgeon, senior, Topeka
  • Sarah Strong, senior, Overland Park
  • Rachel Strothkamp, senior, St. Louis
  • Katie Swantner, senior, Gravois Mills, Missouri
  • Hana Tamura, senior, Manhattan
  • Liana Tauke, senior, Wichita
  • Alex Taylor, senior, Topeka
  • Brooke Thomas, junior, Overland Park
  • Lauren Trimble, junior, Liberty, Missouri
  • Kamryn Villa, senior, Wichita
  • Peter Walsh, senior, Shawnee
  • Morgan Wells, senior, Wentzville, Missouri
  • Sadie Williams, senior, Augusta
  • Mia Willingham, senior, Topeka
  • Lacey Windholz, senior, Lawrence
  • Elizabeth Winkelman, senior, Topeka
  • Mary Claire Witwer, senior, Overland Park
  • Danielle Wolff, senior, Vernon Hills, Illinois
  • Tara Wolff, senior, Overland Park
  • Hunter Woosley, senior, Leawood
  • Doris Yap, senior, Bandar Puchong Jaya, Malaysia  
  • Sarah Zingg, senior, Belton, Missouri.

Thu, 05/26/2022

author

Harry Swartz

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Harry Swartz

University Honors Program

785-864-6003