Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College’s Alpha Alpha Delta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society received a number of chapter and individual awards at the 2019 Carolinas Regional Convention, held March 1-3 in Columbia.
The chapter received a Five-Star Chapter Award – the highest designation a PTK chapter can receive – and Regional Honors in Action Project Award for its student food pantry at the Salvation Army in Orangeburg.
Ashley Bailey, Melissa Eisom, Deon James and Sierra Ryant and former advisor Debra Jones received awards for Competitive Edge completion, a self-paced professional development plan available to PTK members. Advisor Tamara Miles received a Horizon Award for new advisors and Distinguished Achievements in Regional Programs Award. Marie Thomas received an Outstanding Chapter Member Award.
In addition to award presentations, educational workshops and guest speakers, new regional officers were elected at the convention. OCtech’s PTK Chapter President Geneffer Sweatman is the new Carolinas regional secretary.
Sweatman – who also participated in the Prepared Speech Competition, where she talked about the benefits of and need for two-year colleges to invest in travel abroad opportunities for its students – was accepted for the International Scholar Laureate Program in Australia.
Beyond the convention, Ryant and Thomas were named to the 2019 Phi Theta Kappa All-State Academic Team and are among the 41 students in the South Carolina Technical College System who will be honored at a ceremony April 25 at the State House.
OCtech’s spring PTK induction ceremony is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, on campus in Room C-118. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher with a minimum of 12 credit hours, establish academic excellence as judged by faculty and possess recognized qualities of citizenship.
For more information about PTK at OCtech, contact Miles at 803.268.2557 or milest@octech.edu. For more information about PTK, visit ptk.org.
