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PTK Can Change a Student’s Life

When NVC student Jonelle Joiner enrolled at Northwest Vista College in 2015, her intentions were just to finish a goal she put on hold. She saw NVC Phi Theta Kappa brochures when she enrolled but that was the furthest thing from her mind.

It wasn’t until she visited her advisor sometime later, she learned her grades were good enough to join the national honor society’s NVC Beta Lambda Upsilon chapter, which requires at least a 3.25 GPA and 12 hours of college-level courses. Now on her way to graduating next fall, PTK has altered her life.

“When you acquire skills and earn those certificates from PTK, it gives you higher self confidence. I feel like I accomplished something. You are never always perfect and can always enhance what you already know,” said Jonelle, who is the first NVC student to complete PTK’s Five Star Competitive Edge exclusive online professional development plan.

Jonelle, a mom and a wife, is hoping to take what she learned in communication to train her civil service colleagues at Fort Sam Houston Army Base where she works. Jonelle also holds the title of Mrs. San Antonio 2017-18 and trains beauty contestants in her part-time pageant coaching business. Jonelle recently penned a post on PTK’s blog. Read it here.

Marie Morgan, NVC director of Student Life and NVC PTK advisor, said in this last school year over 700 students have become members of the 100-year-old honor society that has a mission to provide members with resources to pursue their ambitions while helping them with scholarships and development opportunities. She said NVC’s chapter is unlike any other at a community college.

“We focus on our students gaining a competitive edge and we have a leadership team to mentor our members. PTK members have access to over $37.5 million in scholarships,” said Marie, adding many of our chapter members get scholarships from major companies and colleges, sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Marie said PTK members take advantage of a variety of training in order to obtain any of the three optional chapter certificates: Leadership & Service, Professional Development, and Community Service. PTK is also notated on student’s final NVC transcript.

In addition to PTK, NVC offers the National Society of Leadership & Success honor society, in which students are selected for membership based on either academic standing or leadership potential. And Psi Beta National Honor Society recognizes academic excellence in the field of psychology and promotes psychological literacy, leadership, and community service.

At a recent PTK induction ceremony, Jonelle gave the welcome speech and said, “all of my PTK success is due to the leaders, advisors and coaches that encouraged me to ‘keep going.’ Do that online training! Come to the face-to-face training! Every time an email entered my email box that was an email of opportunity. They aren’t simple emails that are sent ‘just because’; they are sent to make you the best student that you possibly can be. You all have provided me with more than expected when I first started at Northwest Vista in 2015. I never thought in a million years that I could stand in front of my peers and talk to them about life experiences and share moments with them.”

 

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