Honor society: “A society for the recognition of scholarly achievement especially of undergraduates.”

A place for geeks and nerds, right?

Wrong.

Honor societies are much more than recognizing scholastic achievements. Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) provides a family.

March 2-4, 2018, I attended the PTK Kansas/Nebraska Regional Conference. I knew that I would learn new things and meet new people, but I would never have guessed the impact that weekend would have on myself and others.

At the beginning of the conference was the Chapter Cheer/Chant/Song Competition. I listened and watched skits, dances and more; however, my favorite was the haiku.

“PTK is good.
This haiku is really bad.
Really, really, bad.” — Alex Oritz

The haiku may not have met the criteria of the rubric, but it showed everyone that it’s OK to be bold and just go on stage.

Speaking of being bold, I am proud of my fellow chapter member, Jared Johnson, for applying to be the Kansas/Nebraska Regional Vice President of Western Kansas!

After being a PTK member for maybe two weeks, he decided to take a chance and apply for a regional officer position.

Later that first evening, I listened to one of my chapter advisors, Dr. Mitch Stimers, speak about the Honors Study Topic Guide.

I am amazed at how thoughtfully put together the guide is, somehow relating nine different themes to the main topic, “Transformations: Acknowledging, Assessing and Achieving Change.”

The Regional Officer Political Rally was exciting as I got to see Jared relax a bit.

“I think my favorite part of this regionals conference was getting that family feeling from everyone. Everybody was relaxed around one another and friendly. I’d also like to add it was an amazing feeling to be around people who had high education goals and goals for success as well as aiming high, versus what I was used to where people aimed low in high school.” — Jared Johnson

The next day, I attended breakout sessions with my fellow chapter members. My favorite was “Recruiting New Members” by Amanda Karpinski.

It was nice to see the International President in person instead of pixels on a screen.

That afternoon, I helped with the meal packing event for Chapter 25, Lincoln Kids Against Hunger. It was rewarding to know that my time and effort went toward a good cause.

“Some of my highlights from the past weekend were meeting new people and making friends. I gained a connection with others and felt a positive energy leading to a great experience. Phi Theta Kappa is a big family who supports and motivates one another to do great things in life.” — Zeel Mehta

That evening, the Regional Awards Ceremony rewarded chapters and their members for their achievements.

I am proud of my chapter, Beta Eta Xi, for being named a five-star chapter for the second consecutive year, third place Most Improved Chapter, Honorable Mention Chapter Honors in Action Project and second place in the Distinguished Advisor Team award category.

Additionally, I am proud of my fellow chapter members Christine Matheny, Zeel Mehta and Jennifer Schultz who completed the Five-Star Competitive Edge program along with me.

I was blessed to receive third place in Achievement in Photography, fifth place Achievement in Literature and the Life Happens scholarship.

The best part of that evening was hearing that Jared was elected to be the Kansas/Nebraska Regional Vice President of Western Kansas!

These achievements show much more than academic accomplishments. Without teamwork, they wouldn’t have been possible.

The dance was a close second to the best part of that evening. My fellow chapter members saw a different side of me than the professional side I tend to present at events; they got to see a happy, energetic side without a care in the world.

The next day, I listened to Kevin Kush as he spoke about “A Piece of the Puzzle.”

“My favorite part of regional conference was how it brought our chapter closer together. Also, how everyone there treats everyone as family; age is nothing it is such a diverse group. All with great goals and are willing to push you to the limit to make sure you are successful. I also enjoyed the last speaker of the conference [Kevin Kush]. He really inspired me personally as a mother, wife, future teacher and student.” — Jennifer Schultz

Coach Kush’s words were truly impactful; his eight traits of a quality teammate apply to much more than sports.

The best part of the conference, in my opinion?

Getting to see all of the PTK hallmarks, scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship come to life.