Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Brings Home Two National Awards
They spent months researching, collaborating and showing up for their community. Last weekend in Baltimore, it paid off.
CSN’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, Alpha Xi Beta, won two national awards at the organization’s annual convention, competing against chapters from across the country.
The honors: a Distinguished Honors in Action Project Award, given to just 50 chapters nationwide, and a Top Honors in Action Project award for Theme 1: Why We Tell Stories, which went to fewer than 10 chapters in the country. That second one is as competitive as it sounds.
The project started last summer when lead researcher and Vice President of Honors in Action Calvin Le completed PTK’s Research Edge course and brought his findings back to the team. Together, the officers developed a research question that felt both timely and deeply human: Why is storytelling important in healthcare for understanding patients?
From there, they went to work. Officers and members gathered sources, wrote annotated bibliographies and built an action plan that took them into the real world, visiting an assisted living facility and an elementary school to put their research into practice.
It was a full team effort. Officers Gigi Nguyen, Calvin Le and Joseph Warren Ogden led the charge alongside chapter President Alaizha Foster and member Kanya Richard. Calvin and Gigi are both high school students graduating with an associates degree, how impressive!
For PTK advisor Bruno Rhodes, professor of English, watching it all come together meant everything.
“I am extremely proud of this team,” Rhodes said. “They exceeded all of my expectations. We had not won an award in HIA since 2019, so I am elated to have such a great group of students who engaged in this research project, gained leadership skills, and collaborated with their fellow officers and members.”
The chapter also had the support of co-advisor Dr. Shyam Seetharaman throughout the process.
Alpha Xi Beta first took home first place in Theme 1 at the regional level before advancing to the national stage. Baltimore was just the final stop on a year’s worth of hard work.
Congratulations Alpha Xi Beta!
Front row you Recording Officer, Gigi Nguyen. Behind is Calvin Le, Vice President of Honors-in-Action and PTK Advisor Bruno Rhodes. Back row is coadvisor, Dr. Shyam Seetharaman (left), and Joseph Warren Ogden, Vice President of Service.