Honor Society Inductions

180 Plaza Students Inducted into Two Honor Societies

On October 29, 2009, 180 students were inducted into Plaza College’s new chapters of two nationally recognized honor societies: Sigma Kappa Delta and Alpha Sigma Lambda.

Sigma Kappa Delta is a nationally recognized Honor Society for excellence in English. In order to qualify, students must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.3 and have earned a B or higher in LL254 (Composition and Research).

Alpha Sigma Lambda is a nationally recognized Honor Society for achievement in Liberal Arts. In order to qualify, students must have completed 24 credit hours, 12 of which must be in the Liberal Arts. They must also have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.2.

Sigma Kappa Delta welcomed 114 members; Alpha Sigma Lambda inducted 177 students. 111 students were inducted into both societies.

The college generously threw the honorees a huge bash at Dante’s Catering Hall in East Elmhurst. The evening included a gourmet buffet dinner and dessert. After dinner, the students were inducted into both honor societies by members of the Administration and Faculty.

Director of Alumni Relations and Professor Jonathan Howle was the emcee for the evening. Provost Charles Callahan, III graciously welcomed everyone to the ceremony. Charles Callahan IV then spoke to the students about the significance of being part of an honor society.

Dr. Edward Dee also spoke, congratulating students on the honor of the evening and challenging students to always uphold the standards set by the oaths they were about to take. Dean Marianne Zipf reminded students that academic integrity and honesty helped lead them to the evening and would always be expected of them.

Dean Lin Loffert inducted students into Alpha Sigma Lambda; Mrs. Carol Napolitano and members of the English faculty inducted students into Sigma Kappa Delta.

Members of both societies elected also elected officers. The evening concluded with speeches from candidates for each office. Alpha Sigma Lambda elected Wanda Barrera as President; Jacqueline Gonzalez as Vice-President, and Starasia Cummings as Secretary.

Sigma Kappa Delta elected Litishia Conley as Secretary and Amanda Roldan as Vice-President (Roldan recently graduated; Daisy Hernandez was appointed to be the new vice-president).

In a stunning outcome, there was a tie for President of Sigma Kappa Delta. As a result, Stacy Arce and Elizabeth Rodriguez will serve as Co-Presidents of Plaza College’s first chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta.

 

Director of Student Services, Dawn Vetrano, offered inspirational closing remarks after the speeches.
Below are reactions from several students and faculty who attended the ceremony:

Stacy Arce (Co-President of Sigma Kappa Delta / member of Alpha Sigma Lambda): “It is a great honor to be the one of the first elected co-presidents of SKD. This position makes me very proud, and it gives me motivation to be a better student as well as a worthy leader. SKD means greatness and academic excellence to me, and I hope that it means the same to the students of Plaza College. I would advise qualifying students to be dedicated to their academics and to treat each draft of each project as if it were the final copy. My greatest hope for SKD is that it will become an active part of this community, and make major strides to branch out and promote all the wonderful things the English language has to offer.”

Elizabeth Rodridguez (Co-President of Sigma Kappa Delta / member of Alpha Sigma Lambda): “As I looked around at all the students that evening, I remembered many of them from my earlier semesters at Plaza, and I could see the change in them. These students had matured and become self-assured young men and women with a goal. It was so overwhelming to see students sitting there that night, who, at one time, were scared andready to give up. The pride in every face was breathtaking. Years from now, I will feel extremely proud to have been elected one of the first co-presidents of Sigma Kappa Delta at Plaza College. It is an honor to know that the members believe in me and have entrusted their dreams and ideas to me. My greatest hope for SKD at Plaza is that it becomes known as the chapter that cares. I would like to be known in the community and in other schools for our success in motivating students to achieve and never give up.”

Wanda Barrera (President of Alpha Sigma Lambda / member of Sigma Kappa Delta): “Being elected President was a great source of pride for my family and me, which I really never thought I would achieve. I want to see this organization do well and get involved with non-profit organizations in the community so the chapter can grow. I really want to encourage people to come to Plaza. Look how far I have come. Look at where I’ve been. You can do it too.”

Simone English (Sigma Kappa Delta/Alpha Sigma Lambda): “It was beautiful. I felt special. I felt happy. I was really excited about the future and what’s to come. My English class led me there. The evening was saying that my work was so fantastic that I was honored for it.”

Tashiba Bourget (Alpha Sigma Lambda) “I feel appreciated. I feel special. I feel as if I accomplished a lot. It is making me go forward. Now, I’m almost done with school, and I have my GED. It makes me want to continue my education.”

Angela Greene (Sigma Kappa Delta/Alpha Sigma Lambda) “It represented success.
It meant a lot to me. In the beginning, school was rough. Now, I feel things are going smoothly, thanks to people like Ms. Burns. I accomplished a lot by going to the Learning Center. They helped me with my grammar, punctuation, and writing skills. My writing skills got better, thanks to a lot of the teachers in there. I was a terrible writer before. Dean Loffert also helped me with that.”

Jacqueline Gonzalez (Vice-President of Alpha Sigma Lambda/ member of Sigma Kappa Delta): “It meant the world, entirely. It was a sense of achievement that was so overwhelming. I can hardly put it into words. It was like I was in another zone, another life. It was a great sense of accomplishment. Without the support of Plaza College and the faculty, this never would have happened. Being elected Vice-President was a great feeling; it really is. I didn’t think I was going to win, but I prepared myself and researched the chapter. That’s how I was able to do my speech. I’m looking forward to letting the students’ voices be heard, and to make Plaza College a landmark – we want to be legends here. We do not want to be forgotten, and we want to make it better for the future students.”

Evelyn Louis-Jean (Sigma Kappa Delta / Alpha Sigma Lambda): “It was surreal. I never thought I would be in that position where I am recognized for all my hard work and efforts. Thanks to Plaza College, I am getting there. Keyboarding was a huge obstacle. I had never been on a computer before I came to Plaza in the fall of 2008. It shows me that I can do it. Now that I’m connected to these societies, I feel I have the support and the backup that I didn’t think I’d have.”

Joseline Diaz (Sigma Kappa Delta / Alpha Sigma Lambda): “It actually meant a lot to me. I’m the only female in my family and the youngest one. I’m also the only one going to college, and it makes feel as if I’m doing something really special for my family.”

Professor Charity Burns (English): “I was super proud to see my students get to that point. It made me feel good to see people achieve academically the goals they set for themselves, especially those students who came to me and said they wanted to improve. To know I was part of that achievement felt great. And I loved seeing their glowing faces! The Learning Resources Center is a wonderful resource for the students and was instrumental in helping many students earn these honors. I think the LRC gives students and teachers an opportunity to have one on one work. And because writing is such an individual process, and mastering writing is an individual journey, you have to be patient and attend to any problems that arise. One-on-one work is essential to that process. The LRC gives students that opportunity to have that attention.”