More than 20 San Diego Mesa College students were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa
Honor Society during a ceremony at the college on May 4.
“Phi Theta Kappa recognizes students for their academic achievement and provides opportunities
for them to grow as scholars and leaders,” said Brandon Terrell, Co-Advisor for PTK.
Co-Advisor Pegah Motaleb added that the PTK induction ceremony, “gives students a
sense of confidence, belonging and importance. It also shows them that they are a
part of something larger.”
Students were given a white rose; took the pledge of commitment to leadership, scholarship
and service; and lit candles as the “torch” was passed from the graduating members
of PTK to the new members, said Co-Advisor Susan Hogan.
During the ceremony, awards were given to the inductees in the categories of Fellowship,
for students who share the bond of academic excellence with other scholars and faculty;
Scholarship, for students who maintained a GPA of 3.90 and above; Leadership, for
students who have acted as leaders on campus and within PTK; and Service, for students
who have accumulated more than 50 hours of community service.
The nine students receiving the PTK Fellowship Award include Samantha Jimenez, Alexandra
Casison, Sara VanOrden, Kim N. Truong, Andrew Tracey, Kirara Inoue, Kevin Brown, Andre
Castro and Flavia Deplachett. Students who received the Scholarship Award include
Toan Phan, Bianca Lucido, Andrea Schmidt, Charleigh Poindexter, Karina Tarasova and
Courtney Neizer.
Seven students earned the award for Service, including Ebony Li, Devin Magnuson, Elizabeth
Morales, Restileon Asuncion, Victoria Green, Harker Russell and Sara Ramirez. The
nine students who received the Leadership Award include Amirali Asgari, Janet Langrehr,
Sierra Hudson, Jamie Cook, Javier Gonzales, Erik Tomlinson, Veronica Votel, Ryan Loper
and Evander Deocariza.
Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society that was founded in 1918 for students at community colleges to
recognize their academic achievements and “to provide opportunities for them to grow
as scholars and leaders.” Mesa’s chapter is one of 1,200 in the U.S., along with 100 international chapters.
Boasting more than two million members worldwide, PTK members participate in community
service projects, become active leaders on campus and are eligible for scholarship
opportunities.
For more information about Phi Theta Kappa and the Honors Program at San Diego Mesa
College, contact Honors Co-Coordinator Pegah Motaleb via email at pmotaleb@sdccd.edu or via phone at (619) 388-5926.
Tags: Phi Theta Kappa, Honors, Honors Program