MCCC Students Inducted Into Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society‏

Blue Bell/Pottstown PA —A total of 193 students were inducted into Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) Alpha Kappa Zeta (Central Campus) and Beta Tau Lambda (West Campus) chapters of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges, during the spring 2016 semester.  To be eligible for PTK membership, students must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 and must have completed at least 12 credits.

The spring 2016 inductees are listed below by area of residence:

Abington: Catherine Bray, Kevin Cruz, Kimberly Garcia, Hudson Marsh

Ambler: Evelin James, Richard Lavrence-Mrvar, Megan Moyer, Melody Rolon

Ardmore: Richard Gallagher

Barto: Julie Howell

Bensalem: Megan McLaughlin

Birchrunville: Keenan McCormick

Birdsboro: Kaitlin Eichenberg

Blue Bell: Sarah Carminati, Eun Kyoung Han

Bridgeport: Sonja Kline

Chesterbrook: Joseph Haas

Collegeville: Rebekah Bondi, Emily Cosmi, Lauren Grevera, Rachel Krantz, Anna Poet, Julie Scott, Michael Topham, Catherine Urbanski, Nicole Viola, Stephanie Yovish

Douglassville: Lorenzo Giotti, Jessica Toth

Dresher: Adam Wasserman

East Greenville: Daniel Franklin, Deborah Stannard

East Norriton: Katherine Bampfield, Kristy Druding, Nichole Romano

Elkins Park: Marin Harwood, Dylan Joyce, Jeanette Nestor, Ryan Seifert, Katelyn Tausendfreundt

Erdenheim: Gabriella Vasquez

Fort Washington: Jonathan Basta, Michela Mennella

Gilbertsville: Zachary Dick, Bridget Rapp, Joshua Urbach, Charles Vitabile

Glenside: Elisabeth Cripps, Brian Gilbert, Anita Marie Kruse

Harleysville: Dimitri Coachi, Marissa Gleason, Ansley Martin, Madalyn Reed, Edbert Ruliff, Brianna Vandegrift

Hatboro: Kelsey Holm, Jennifer Jacker

Hatfield: Carlos Depaz, James Heim, Ashley Leahy, Andre Martin, Emily Seiler, Janeel Solanki, Kathryn Sovocool, Kelly Tran

Horsham: Kathleen McGrogan, Aaron Murphy, Avery Romanoli

Huntingdon Valley: Timothy Terrizzi

Jenkintown: John Collins

King of Prussia: Matthew Bickerdyke, Spencer Edelman, Laura Franco, Aastha Gurung, Bao Nguyen, Laura Persofsky, Grant Smith

Lansdale: Ian Christensen, Jonathan Dimascio, Tara Eisenhart, Mark Halberstadt, Marie McGrath, Michael McLaughlin, Ronnie Ann Moshinsky, Francheska Pauline Reyes, Mikaela Rottina, Natasha Scott, John Sprouse, Jenna Tieu, Bryana Whyte, Chaksa Williams, Jingxu Zhu, Jingxu Zhu

Mont Clare: Noah Cittadino

Montgomeryville: Elizabeth Flagler, Jake Flagler

Narberth: Lisa Mills

Norristown: Brianna Devenny, Maria Flores Chavez, Emma Hagel, Ryan Hamilton, Gilbert Martinelli, Monica McGuire, Dmitry Vereykin

North Wales: Marissa Boorse, John Bucci, Alicia Eglin, Samantha Hencken, Olivia Nowinski, Justin Soderberg

Oreland: Grace Harmer

Pedricktown, N.J.: Dena Fritz

Penn Valley: Alexander Shetzen

Pennsburg: Isabel Gandek-Gaspar, Haley Johnston, Elizabeth Rinehart, Olivia Spilman, Tyler Whittaker

Perkasie: Abigail McIntyre

Perkiomenville: Candie Brown, Alexis Elsner

Philadelphia: Elixer Lassus, James McAllister, Phallon Summerville

Phoenixville: Kevin Colbert, Jessica Jacobs, Felicia Milano, Jacqueline Pizzico

Plymouth Meeting: Rebecca Carbo, Patriot Fazliu, Julian Giorno, Rachel Viola, Sarah Viola

Pottstown: Samantha Faust, Jessica Grace, Casey Hand, Urella Harder, Jared Highlands, Seth Kramer, Jaclyn Murphy, Megan Nazaryk, Emily Nazaryk, Timothy Obrien, Pamela Oister, Paul Parrish, Jonathan Pavlick, Rachel Ricketts, Hattie Sandberg, Samantha Shovelton, Kirsten Staurowsky, Charlotte Stone, Heidi Thomas, Candace Wright, John Yorgey Jr.

Reading: Corrine Peterson, Derek Peterson

Red Hill: Catherine Camuso

Roslyn: Emily Murphy

Royersford: Nicole Bumbarger, Philip Gardocki, Sophie Garro, Steven Landis, Tyler Lelii, Kayla Velasquez

Schwenksville: Austin Flint, Sara Pecharo, John-Curtis Quattrini

Skippack: Rebecca Dietterich

Souderton: Lianna Blankenship, Alison Evans, Brett Hale, Hyeonjoo Min, Rebekah Negley

Southampton: Volha Sachko

Spring City: Erik Aschendorf

Stowe: Gabrielle Davidheiser

Telford: Carina Brown, Samuel Crino, Katherine Derstine, Jillian Hartman, Forrest Hendricks, Stefan Hofmeister, David Hollinger, Claire Horrocks, Preston Moyer

Trappe: Victoria Esten

Warminster: Crystal Guzman

West Chester: Jamie Hutchison

West Point: Andrew McNaney

Willow Grove: Ren Kauffman, Kaitlin Taylor

Wyndmoor: Christine Fariss

MCCC Students Inducted Into Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society

Blue Bell/Pottstown Pa.—A total of 182 students were inducted into Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) Alpha Kappa Zeta (Central Campus) and Beta Tau Lambda (West Campus) chapters of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges, during the fall 2015 semester.  To be eligible for PTK membership, students must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 and must have completed at least 12 credits.

The fall 2015 inductees are listed below by area of residence:

Abington: Marianne Heath, Antonio Perez, Allegra Schnitzel

Ambler: Daniel Asper, Doris Brooke, Caroline Coloracci, Dana McMonagle, Teresa Stanton, David Vigano

Ardmore: Jesse Putnam, Sharon West

Audubon: Erin Emery

Blue Bell: Moon Young Bang, Ashley Doyle, Chelsea Mitlas, Patrick Nucci, Hollie Roberts, Suzanne Sellers, Trevor Vascellaro

Bridgeport: Patricia Hart, Robert McCorkell

Chalfont: Stephen Scafidi

Coatesville: Judith McCole

Collegeville: William Bianco, Philip Cappelli, Nicholas Duffy, Pat Guarnieri, Robert Levine, Regina Macmurtrie, Geoffrey Melle, David Moran

Douglassville: Jeffrey Smith

Doylestown: Andrew Durkin

Eagleville: Bethany Smith

East Greenville: Jeffrey Regitko

East Norriton: Esther Chun, Jennifer Gill

Elkins Park: William Schwarz

Elverson: Sean Fox

Erdenheim: Mark Vido

Fort Washington: Rosanna Avraham

Gilbertsville: Samuel Cocchimiglio, Deborah Gehret, Kimberly Trotter

Glenside: Emma Morris, Dianna Pax, Mary Yancy

Green Lane: Jessica Yelito

Harleysville: Katalin Abraham, Elizabeth Bones, Lauren Dunlap, Celeste Heim, Rebecca Levengood, David Maga, Alexandra Murphy, Natalie Watterworth

Hatboro: Anna Angely, Alison Culbert, Rah Kim

Hatfield: Judith Allen, Sandra Beitler, Varun Belani, Brandon Gilrain, Sarah Kling, Matthew McBride, Jessica McLaughlin, Angela Russak

Haverford: Katelyn McCauley, Elias Pery

Horsham: Jeffrey Kenney, Victoria Rivers, Jane Son, Nina Valdera

Huntingdon Valley: Luis Sotelo

Jenkintown: Yasmina Bdeir

King Of Prussia: Shaya Edelman, Casey Griffith, William Orem, Alexander Russakoff, Alyssa Weber

Lafayette Hill: Brian Seyler

Langhorne: James Macomber

Lansdale: Caitlin Beck, Prashanta Dhakal, Mark Dunigan, Kandice Hill, Mengwei Kong, Leeanne Pennegar, David Rowan, Mary Zabriskie

Lower Gwynedd: Samantha Schafer

Narberth: Dori Malloy

Norristown: Royce Brenner, Jaquelin Cruz-Jordan, Nina Gajewski, Stacey Greaves, Elizabeth Palesano, Alexander Profrock, Matthew Torrence, Christopher Waters, Hyuck Yun

North Wales: Robert Carswell, Justin Colon, Eric Knoblauch, Harry Lee, Fiamma Tulli, Sean Wang

Oreland: Daniel McGlinchey

Pennsburg: Dana Jones, Chad Petipren, Abigail Pusey, Katarzyna Sitko

Philadelphia: Patrick Carr, Emmett Johnson, Marisa Seidman

Phoenixville: Brian D’Onofrio, Ahmad Hasaan, Caroline Heasley, Sabrina Pelletier, Janette Zillmann

Plymouth Meeting: Kyle Bone, Joi King, Thomas Rosa, Rosalie Stein

Pottstown: Nicholas Bartelmo, Phillip Benjamin, Emily Bohn, Fernando Garcia, Grant Gaugler, Carrie Grabowicz, Alan Jensen-Sellers, Anthony Johnson, Steven Kidd, Tracy King, Hans Konarkowski, Kathleen Latshaw, Dung Le, Jasmine Maldonado, Robert Moon, Carrie Partington, Michelle Rentschler, Alexandra Rodriguez, Ruben Tolentino, Kali Wade, Heather Zabicki

Reading: Sikira Valle, Selina Yensan

Red Hill: Jocelyn Belisle, William Cox, Mary Heebner

Royersford: Kathleen Brady, Heather Curran, Phoebe Ivady, Lynn Lang, Emily Maxwell, Kyle Surbrook

Saint Peters: Amanda Selwyn

Schwenksville: Jennifer Ciccotosto, Nicole Scott

Souderton: Sarah Doelp, Matthew Finley, Ruth Rowland, Lavinia Soliman

Southampton: Katherine Rose

Stowe: Javier Rodriguez, Stacey Thompson

Telford: Alisyn Davidson, Emily Freed, Kara Gaburon

Trappe: Jose Catalan, Michael Reiner

Upper Gwynedd: Nancy Henggeler

Villanova: James Mearns

Warminster: Stephanie Harper

Wayne: Audrey O’Keefe

West Point: Danielle Butler

Willow Grove: Michelle Paripsky, Alexandra Winterle

Wyncote: Keith Palmer

Wyndmoor: Maria Thomas

Wynnewood: Marta Garnczarska, Leah Gottfried

Karen A. Stout Honored Nationally For Commitment to Phi Theta Kappa‏

San Antonio, Texas— Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) President Dr. Karen A. Stout was presented with Phi Theta Kappa’s 2015 Shirley B. Gordon Award on April 16 during the organization’s 97th annual convention in San Antonio, Texas.

The award is given annually to college presidents and campus CEOs for their outstanding efforts to promote the goals of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), an international honor society for students of two-year colleges. Dr. Stout is one of 23 college leaders to receive the 2015 award.

At MCCC, student participation in Phi Theta Kappa has grown significantly during Dr. Stout’s tenure as president. Under her leadership, a second PTK chapter—Beta Tau Lambda—was added in 2005 at the College’s West Campus in Pottstown, complimenting the longstanding Alpha Kappa Zeta chapter at the Central Campus in Blue Bell. Both chapters consistently achieve the distinction of Five Star Status—the highest level of national recognition possible—for progressing through PTK’s Five Star Chapter Development Plan.

Recently, in recognition of the impact PTK membership has on student success and completion, Dr. Stout generously pledged $30,000 to establish a Phi Theta Kappa Annual Challenge Fund through MCCC’s Foundation.

“Phi Theta Kappa members in Pennsylvania have an overall success rate of 92 percent; yet, only 14 percent of PTK-eligible students join the organization. The cost of membership is a clear barrier,” said Stout.

The Karen A. Stout Phi Theta Kappa Challenge Fund at MCCC supports qualified students by defraying half the cost of a PTK membership, which is currently $60, while challenging students to match the remaining cost.

Dr. Stout will begin her tenure as president and CEO of Achieving the Dream, Inc. on July 1, 2015. There, she will bring her passion for student access and success to more than 200 community colleges and nearly four million students in 35 states.

The Shirley B. Gordon Award is named for the late Dr. Shirley B. Gordon, Phi Theta Kappa’s longest-serving Board of Directors chair and president emeritus of Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash. Gordon was named Phi Theta Kappa’s Most Distinguished College President in 1984. To learn more, visit http://www.ptk.org.

Dr. Karen Stout Establishes Phi Theta Kappa Challenge Fund In Support Of Student Completion At MCCC

PHOTO: Dr. Karen A. Stout (center) stands with officers from Montgomery County Community College’s Alpha Kappa Zeta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Student officers include (from left) Reginald Harris, secretary; Michelle Sikora, vice president of service; Jennifer Cutler, vice president of scholarship; Mamata Tharima, president; Raymond Straughter, vice president of fellowship; Thomas DeLucia, secretary; and Wilfredo Montijo, vice president of leadership. Photo by John Welsh

Blue Bell Pa.—To encourage and inspire students to become part of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for two-year colleges, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) President Karen A. Stout has generously pledged $30,000 to establish a Phi Theta Kappa Annual Challenge Fund through the College’s Foundation.

Phi Theta Kappa membership offers students a significant advantage when it comes to college success and completion. In fact, a recent national study reveals that PTK members in Pennsylvania have an overall success rate of 92 percent—that’s four times higher than the success rate for all of the state’s community college students.

However, despite the documented impact, only 14 percent of PTK-eligible students nationally join the organization. With a current membership fee of $60, cost is a likely barrier for many eligible students.

The Karen A. Stout Phi Theta Kappa Challenge Fund will support qualified students by defraying half the cost of a PTK membership, while challenging students to match the remaining cost. Students must be eligible for Pell Grant funding and PTK membership to qualify. Members of PTK must maintain a 3.5 GPA and must have completed at least 12 credits.

As a member of MCCC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapters—Alpha Kappa Zeta at the Central Campus in Blue Bell or Beta Tau Lambda at the West Campus in Pottstown—students are afforded the opportunity to grow as scholars and servant leaders. By working with their peers and faculty advisors, PTK members examine real-life issues facing their communities, while gaining leadership skills through the organization’s Honors in Action programming.

For example, this year’s PTK chapters collected more than 500 pairs of shoes for the community organization In Ian’s Boots; cleaned up a portion of the Schuylkill River; and partnered with Theatre Horizon and the Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center in Norristown on a community education/public art project. In addition, both of MCCC’s chapters achieved the distinction of Five Star Status—the highest level of national recognition possible—for progressing through the organization’s Five Star Chapter Development Plan.

PTK members also have access to exclusive transfer scholarship information and opportunities, which will help them continue their education after graduating from MCCC.

The Karen A. Stout Phi Theta Kappa Challenge Fund is part of the Foundation’s first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, “Futures Rising: The Campaign for Montgomery County Community College,” which looks to raise $9 million for student scholarships. To learn more or to get involved, visit http://www.mc3.edu/futures.

MCCC Students Inducted Into Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society

Blue Bell/Pottstown Pa.—A total of 167 students were inducted into Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) Alpha Kappa Zeta (Central Campus) and Beta Tau Lambda (West Campus) chapters of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges, during the fall 2014 semester.  To be eligible for PTK membership, students must maintain a grade point average of 3.5 and must have completed at least 12 credits. 

The fall 2014 inductees are listed below by area of residence:

Ambler: William Cagney, Renee Campanell, Amanda Ciammetti, Bradley Collings, Anna Colins, Christina Mascuilli, Carlo Pipitone, Kyree Sullivan

Ardmore: Joshua Clair

Audubon: Jenna Gaasche

Bala Cynwyd: Catherine Morroney

Bellmawr, N.J.: Nicole Hacking

Bensalem: Barbara Schick

Blue Bell: Alexander Booth, Johnna Corson, Theresa Jun, Steven Mitchell, Nicole Ragusa

Bridgeport: Irving Galvan, Ronald Quay

Chalfont: Morgan Ewart, MacKenzie Mazak

Cheltenham: Nam Dangvy

Collegeville: Antonio Aloia, Julie Clark

Colmar: Holly Figueiredo

Conshohocken: Jonathan Drozd, Madison Eichert

Douglassville: Adriana Giotti

Doylestown: Christine Bradley

Eagleville: Daniel Buttorff, Lindley Yarnall

East Norriton: Kathryn Hall, Angela Mertz

Elkins Park: Michele Gravel, Eitan Laurence, Bruno Saint-Louis

Flourtown: John Berger

Fort Washington: Nathanael Plaster

Gilbertsville: Brittany Benson, Donna Braner, Kathryn Brown, Robert Brown, Marion Bucci, Maryalice Enright, Glendon Liggett, James Pederson

Glenside: Crystal Nieman

Green Lane: Angelina Sirak, Stephanie Sirak

Harleysville: Michael Covel, Justin Eppley, Virginia Hoffman, Mehdi Hooshmand, Abigail Landis, Jennifer Solomon, Hollie Southard, Amanda Zacharias

Hatboro: Loriann Greger, Chun-Te Li

Hatfield: Rebecca Goodolf, Taylor Jordan, Farad Zaman

Horsham: Stefanie Barszowski, Maria Boggi, Jennifer Goodwin, Ryan Marinelli

Huntingdon Valley: Samantha Smyth

Jeffersonville: Morgan Kerper, Justin Mitchell

Jenkintown: Kelli Dietrich, Sunghee Lee

King of Prussia: Hayme Mikael Morelos

Lansdale: Rabbil Ahmed, Rebecca Booz, Jarrett Faulk, Rachael Grallnick, Teresa Gruber, Mis Kulsum, Ashley Lepera, Jennifer Lieu, Lee Miletich, Doreen Panico, Gregory Regan, Gabrielle Scotti, Ashley Sheely

Limerick: Alexandra Barnes, Lindsey Ridenour

Malvern: Jacob Robertson

Mullica Hill, N.J.: Donna Sulvetta-Student

Norristown: Samantha Barnaik, Mattie Hargrove, Heidi Hunsberger, Joseph Kent, Diahann McIntyre, Caroline Moman, Tarah Organtini, Joanne Ratteree, Sima Seddighi, Eric Shope, Sarina Wang

North Wales: Angelina Barton, Kathleen Cronin, Rebecca Cronin, Robert Pritchard

Oreland: Kelly Maguire, Alexander McDermott, Matthew Will

Pennsburg: Michaela Buckwalter, Autumn Detweiler

Perkasie: Sandra Deiley

Philadelphia: Jillian Rogers, Sheena Santos, Max Woessner

Phoenixville: Brittany Fuller, Kemarie Kurtz, Jessica Loughery, Philip Zhu

Plymouth Meeting: Scott Lukens

Pottstown: Molly Adams, Hector Astacio, Megan Bealer, Michael Carbo, Nick Centofanti, Kristyn Fetterman, Brandi Haas, Tory Hudgins, Leif Hums, Deborah Jackson, Bridget McLaughlin, Christina Miles, Kelly Moorman, Meghan Oberholtzer, Emily Staab

Roslyn: Amy Tassone

Royersford: Kelley Burris, Michele Taluc-Chance, Aadil Esmail, Gabrielle Fisher, Joanne McDowell-Henderson, Tammy Moyer, Abigail Rutkowski

Sanatoga: Tyler Musser

Schwenksville: Erin Duvinski, Elizabeth James, Jena Polvino, Melissa Rufe, Drew Smyth, Tara Veve, Kathryn Warren

Sellersville: Donna Gastner

Souderton: Myles Menardi, Carly Plawa, Dennis Stone

Spring City:

Stowe: Victor Hall

Telford: Jessica Minguez, Keara Snyder

Warrington: Matthew Shetzline

Willow Grove: Chelsea Baranowski, Dana Fornicola, Perry Jones, Margaret Thompson, Randy Willis

Worcester: Michael Gawbill

Wyncote: Tatianna Devaughn

Zieglerville: James Cox