Meet NOVA’s 2020-2021 PTK Honorees!
Last week, the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) NOVA Nighthawk honorees have been announced for the 2020-2021 scholarship season. Students across Virginia were nationally recognized in a virtual presentation by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). NOVA has twelve honorees named to the PTK All-Virginia Academic Team.
“Earning PTK honors, is really an impressive feat, even more so for this past year,” said Glenn Dubois, chancellor of VCCS. “We gather today virtually to celebrate some outstanding academic performances. Your ability to adapt and overcome what this virus has thrown at us has been remarkable. Now, I’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.”
Four of NOVA’s PTK scholars were also selected as Virginia Top Ten honorees. These four were among only ten students within the VCCS PTK chapters who qualified for both honors. Additionally, two of NOVA’s Top Ten honorees were selected for national recognition as a Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and a New Century Transfer Scholar.
“I want to congratulate all of our NOVA nighthawks,” said Anne M. Kress, president of NOVA. “I also want to thank our amazing advisors and PTK staff who helped get our students here today.”
PTK is the national honor society for two-year colleges with more than 3.5 million members worldwide. The honor society provides opportunities for students to grow as scholars and leaders. Students are eligible for membership when they have achieved a 3.5 grade point average or higher after having completed the first 12 credit hours toward their degree. The program is designed to recognize high achieving students, their leadership abilities and service to others.
“I think the students here today are absolutely crushing it,” said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, president and CEO of PTK. “They are among the best students in Virginia. Last year alone, we had 1.9M bachelor’s degrees awarded in this country, and 49% came from community colleges.”
The All-Virginia Academic Team members are then also considered for the Coca Cola Community College Academic Team and the All-USA Academic Team. These very prestigious designations offer scholarships to the best of the best and are made possible by sponsorships from Coca Cola, the Follett Higher Education Group, and the American Association of Community Colleges.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team. Fifty students nationwide will be named Gold Scholars, each receiving a $1,500 scholarship; fifty students will be named Silver Scholars, each receiving a $1,250 scholarship and fifty students will be named Bronze Scholars, each receiving a $1,000 scholarship. A state may have multiple Gold, Silver or Bronze Scholars. All scholars will also receive special medallions. In addition, the Coca-Cola Foundation, along with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa will recognize a top scoring transfer student as New Century Transfer Scholar, and the top scoring workforce student as New Century Workforce Scholar, from each state. The New Century Transfer Scholar will receive a $2,250 award and the New Century Workforce Scholar will receive a $1,250 award.
Four Members of the top 10 honorees will also receive $500 from NOVA alongside their other scholarships.
Click to view the scholarship announcement. For more information on scholarships and awards, please contact Libby Sears, coordinator for special awards programs at esears@nvcc.edu.
Here are the recognized NOVA Nighthawks:
Aliyu Alao
Major: General Studies: Health Sciences Specialization
Future goals: Aliyu plans to transfer to the University of Mary Washington, where he plans to become a Certified Nursing Anesthesiologist, with hopes to help make the world a better, more unified place.
Maram Baider
Major: Social Science
Future goals: Maram plans to transfer to Georgetown University, where she will pursue her bachelor’s, master’s and PhD to become a sociologist that will enable her to better understand herself and society in a unique way. Maram is also a Top Ten PTK honoree and a Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar.
Petra Carden
Major: Accounting
Future goals: Petra plans to continue to love and support her seven children and four grandchildren while opening and running her own tea and herb shop in Occoquan, Va.
Michelle Coronado
Major: Information Technology
Future goals: Michelle will transfer to George Mason University, eventually earning a master’s degree, with plans to become a software engineer or related position in computers and programming. Michelle plans to set an example to encourage women to venture into the field of computers.
Lucy Goodwyn
Major: Liberal Arts/English Specialization
Future goals: Lucy intends to transfer to pursue a bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a Global Affairs concentration. Her interests focus on environmental and sustainability issues as well as human security.
Mia Griffin
Major: Business Management/Marketing Administration
Future goals: Mia plans to transfer to UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce and then follow her dreams of entering the Peace Corps to jumpstart her career in international development. Mia is also a Top Ten PTK honoree and A New Century Transfer Scholar.
Jonathan Kim
Major: Jonathan has pursued both the Career Studies Certificate and the Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity.
Future goals: His transfer plans haven’t been finalized as of now.
Jacob McNeer
Major: Criminology and Criminal Science
Future goals: His selection as a Phi Theta Kappa Regional Extemporaneous Speech Champion may serve him well as he transfers to Virginia Tech with the career goal of becoming a lawyer. Jacob is also a Top Ten PTK honoree.
Bianca Razo
Major: Psychology
Future goals: Bianca plans to transfer to George Mason University or the University of Mary Washington to pursue degrees and licensing as a Physician’s Assistant with a specialization in mental health, focusing on underserved populations.
Makeda Retta
Major: Business Administration
Future goals: Makeda believes that applied education is the key to life and that we actually never stop learning. She plans to earn a PhD following achieving her master’s in International Relations. Her long-term career plan is to have a role in her community within her Accounting profession. She hopes to open a non-profit accounting firm to benefit Ethiopian youth and encourage them to explore the world. Makeda is also a Top Ten PTK honoree.
Christian Schreckhise
Major: AAS Nursing
Future goals: Christian will transfer to the University of Virginia to pursue a degree leading to a career as a Diabetes Educator. His desire is to make insulin more affordable and improve healthcare for many.
Jordan Woodard
Major: AS Science
Future goals: Jordan will transfer to James Madison University, where she will pursue a degree leading to a career in research with the United States Geological Survey.
Submitted by:
Hoang Nguyen, PIO, HDNguyen@nvcc.edu