Twelve students were inducted into Williamson’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society’s Beta Chi Mu chapter and four new class officers were installed during the induction ceremony in the Rowan Hall Dining Room on Oct. 2.
The seniors are: Daniel Blair, Anthony Colangelo, and Matthew Flint. The juniors are: Caden Angstadt, Gabriel April, Nathan Barnshaw, Shawn Christopher, Isaac Johnson, Henry Rhein, Nathan Shoemaker, Anthony Storti, and Cameron Walker. The officers are: Keenan Curley – President, Xavier Roberts – Vice President, Shane McLaughlin – Treasurer, and James Spicer – Secretary.
In his welcoming remarks, President Michael Rounds said “PTK was established in 1918 to recognize and encourage academic achievement, leadership, and service at associate degree granting colleges. It has grown to be the largest honor society in America. We are proud to be a member of such a great organization. We give special thanks to Dr. Samuel Wrightson, Williamson’s former vice president of academic affairs, and his wife Mady, who established this chapter in 2018.”
Rev. Mark Specht, DMin, 7W7, then gave the invocation and Wrightson thanked those who made the induction ceremony possible through their hard work and introduced the guest speaker Chris Mullen, director of Construction Technology-Carpentry and member of Phi Theta Kappa. “Chris Mullen is part of the faculty and staff that through the students’ 1,000-day journey changes these young men from the boys that were raised by their parents into terrific young men.”
Mullen said, “PTK is more than a vanity title. It is a powerful engine for success offering financial advantages through scholarships, personal growth through leadership and service, and respect and networking that distinguishes you on your resume and in your career.”
He opened his remarks saying he was surprised to have been asked to speak at the ceremony, but after thinking about it realized it is a good fit.
Speaking to the students, he said “We come from similar backgrounds. I lost my mother at the age of four. My father became a widower with five children. He worked two full-time jobs and a part-time weekend job to support us. Though he had little money, he realized that the one equalizer was education.”
Mullen said he only did well in high school in the subjects he liked and after a stint in the U.S. Navy, he worked 20 years as a carpenter. At the age of 36, he decided to get a college degree, enrolling in the Community College of Philadelphia where it took him four years to get a two-year degree going to school evenings while married with children.
“I took advantage of opportunities. I was committed to being the best student in every class I took. There were students smarter than me, but no one worked harder. I got an A in every class accept one, which dropped my 4.0 GPA to 3.7. I was on the Dean’s List every semester because I worked hard. I earned the right to be inducted into PTK.”
Then, Wrightson and Dr. Michelle Williams, vice president of academic affairs/chief academic officer, led the induction of the new officers followed by the officers inducting the new members.
The program concluded with the inductees and the audience singing the PTK official song.
A reception followed for the students, 40 parents and faculty and staff in attendance.
