As academic year comes to a close, new members welcomed into Maryville College’s academic honor societies
May 3, 2024
The Greek nomenclature may be confusing, but make no mistake: The seven honor societies on the Maryville College campus that recently welcomed new student members are all about the academics.
As the 2023-24 academic year came to a close, seven MC honor societies conducted induction ceremonies, adding to the national membership of organizations dedicated to scholastic achievement among various groups and programs of study.
“Toward the end of every academic year, we induct our strongest students into various academic honor societies,” said Dr. Dan Klingensmith, vice president and dean of the College who will return to the classroom as a professor of history over the summer. “I’m proud of all of them and the students they recognize. The Alpha Gamma Sigma Society goes back many decades, honoring academic performance over the course of a student’s entire career.
“The Alpha Sigma Lambda Society honors nontraditional students, a lot of whom are doing college the hard way, by combining it with work, childcare, elder care or other responsibilities off campus. The other societies are specific to particular kinds of study, like history, theater, psychology, English, Spanish, French or Kappa Delta Pi, which is s for future K-12 educators.
“It’s a joy to honor the application, energy and talent of students in these societies,” Klingensmith added.
Some ceremonies were intimate ones that welcomed a handful of new members; others were more lavish affairs that featured guest speakers and hors d’oeuvres. Each of them, however, bestowed upon inductees accolades and cords with which they adorned their graduation regalia for the College’s May 5 Commencement ceremony.
Organizations and their new members include:
Alpha Gamma Sigma
Designed to “encourage thorough scholarship and to stimulate interest in cultural pursuits among students of the College,” newly inducted members of AGS were: Zineb Aarab ’24, an International Studies and Management double major from Morocco; Austin Dalton ’24, a Marketing major from Knoxville; Colton Gentry ’24, a Business Analytics major from Philadelphia, Tennessee; Raegan Hooks ’25, a Neuroscience major from Knoxville; Lacey Hunter ’24, a Political Science major from Sevierville, Tennessee; Calista Jones ’24, an English (with licensure) major from Maryville; Alina Rosati ’24, a Philosophy major from Loudon, Tennessee; Grace Rubel ’25, a Philosophy major from Friendsville, Tennessee; Carder Sprous ’24, a History (with licensure) major from Lenoir City, Tennessee; Megan Strunk ’24, a Design major from Knoxville; Colby Vesser ’24, a Finance/Accounting major from Alcoa, Tennessee; Holly Walker ’24, an Elementary Education major from Knoxville; Marina Warren ’24, an American Sign Language-English Interpreting major from Bristol, Tennessee; Betty Brooks White ’24, an ASL-English Interpreting major from Killen, Alabama; Brianna White ’24, an Art major from Knoxville; Ava Whitmire ’24, an Elementary Education major from Madison, Alabama; Hila Williford ’24, a Biology major from Knoxville; and Zoe Zeller ’24, a Design major from Hixson, Tennessee.
Alpha Psi Omega
The national theater honor society, Alpha Psi Omega membership requires at least two semesters of participation in theater work, as well as involvement in stage productions mounted by the College’s Theatre Department. New members include Eden Carnes ’27, a Business Analytics major from Friendsville; Aja Cofer ’25, a Writing/Communication major from Knoxville; Daisy Cranfill ’27 of Athens, Tennessee; Anthony Fraser ’26, a Theatre Studies major from Knoxville; Miranda Parkhill ’27 of Knoxville; and Chapel Shortt ’25, a Mathematics major from Chattanooga, Tennesee.
Alpha Sigma Lambda
New members of the MC chapter of the national honor society for nontraditional students inducted: Shanon Adame ’24, a Writing/Communication major from Maryville; John Andrews ’25, a Psychology (Counseling track) major from Alcoa; Laura Diamond ’26, an Elementary Education major from Maryville; Ryley Huskey ’25, a History (with licensure) major from Maryville; Renee Lee ’26, a Chemistry major from Buckeye, Arizona; and Marina Warren ’24.
Kappa Delta Pi
The education honor society for aspiring teachers, which requires completion of at least six hours of education courses and a minimum GPA of 3.0, held its induction on April 25. New members include: Emma Blankenship ’26, an Elementary Education major from Maryville; Jaelyn Hedrick ’27 of Lebanon, Tennessee; Ryley Huskey ’25; Anne Marie Konieczny ’27, an Elementary Education major from Greeneville, Tennessee; Bridget Requejo ’25, an Elementary Education major from Knoxville; Romina Aranda Reyes ’27 from Covington, Georgia; Jalen Sharp ’24, an Elementary Education major from Athens, Tennessee; and Mackenzie Wolfe ’26, a History (with licensure) major from Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Phi Alpha Theta
The College’s Alpha-Mu-Psi chapter of the national honor society in history welcomed six new members this academic year — including one, Riley Gaston ’25 (a Mathematics major from Lenoir City), who was inducted virtually because he spent the spring semester studying abroad in Germany. In addition to Gaston, new members include: Micayla Clark ’24, a History (with licensure) major from Plano, Texas; Ryley Huskey ’25; Caroline Johnson ’24, a Developmental Psychology (Community Psychology track) major from Franklin; Wade Mathews ’25, a Political Science major from Lebanon; Stan Pennington ’26, a History (with licensure) major from Sevierville; Finch Peddicord ’26, a History major from Warren, Texas; and Mackenzie Wolfe ’26.
Psi Chi
Psi Chi undergrads are required to have a cumulative GPA that ranks them in the top 35% of their class, and new members who met that litmus test and were recently inducted into the international honor society of psychology include: Elise Acuff ’25, a Psychology (Counseling track) major from Mascot, Tennessee; Michael Bailey ’25, a Criminal Justice and Neuroscience double major from Jamaica; Liam Clark ’25, an ASL-English Interpreting major from Alcoa; Austin Dalton ’24, a Marketing major from Knoxville; Elizabeth Harvey-Ayers ’26, a Psychology (Counseling track) major from Williamson, Georgia; Sarah Jacobs ’26, a Developmental Psychology (Childhood Trauma and Resilience track) major from Lebanon, Ohio; Margaret Kimbirl ’25, a Psychology major from Belmont, North Carolina; Emily Large ’25, a Psychology (Counseling track) major from Powell, Tennessee; Annie Melhorn ’26, a Psychology major from Ten Mile, Tennessee; Isabelle Mitchell ’26, a Developmental Psychology (Childhood Trauma and Resilience track) from Friendsville; Precious Pressley ’24, an ASL-English Interpreting major from Hendersonville, Tennessee; Rachel Semos ’24, a Psychology major from Germantown, Tennessee; Madison Smith ’26, a Psychology major from Sevierville; and Daniel Vankirk ’25, a Psychology major from Knoxville.
Sigma Tau Delta
New members of Maryville College’s Alpha Rho Kappa chapter of the international English honor society include: Shanon Adame ’24; Sarah Bauknight ’25, a Writing/Communication major from Powell; Lilli Bryan ’25, a Writing/Communication major from Knoxville; Aja Cofer ’25; Breckyn Creel ’25, a Writing/Communication major from Townsend; Emma Henson ’25, a Writing/Communication major from Maryville; Mere Howell ’25, a Writing/Communication major from Birmingham, Alabama; Julia Jeffress ’25, an English major from Johnson City, Tennessee; and Calista Jones ’24.
