Alpha Theta Phi Chapter - Phi Theta Kappa - LaGuardia Community College

by Peter Kim Sometimes troublemakers appear in meetings and other social events. What should a chapter officer do in this situation? It is inevitable that will confront a troublemaker on some occasion. Are you going to fight with them? After attending an educational forum at the PTK International Conference on this issue, I have some ideas to help you.  What do I mean when I refer to individuals as troublemakers? An officer, who was elected but didn’t do anything during their term or a person who promised to do work but is always making excuses and being undependable are common types of trouble makers. Most people feel uncomfortable confronting strangers and don’t know where to begin because lack of skill can make a situation worse. Therefore, a willingness to take action or start talking is the hardest part of   confronting a troublemaker. Once you decide to take action then the following tips will help you. First, there is a power dynamic in every social relationsh...

by Peter Kim I believe every chapter officer wants to make their chapter strong and be competitive with other chapters.  I’m hoping that these tips will help you create a stronger chapter. General meetings are a way to communicate with members, and a perfect moment to explain chapter goals to fellow members. Now, how can you get more members or students to come to meetings?  Make the meeting time as convenient as possible and keep the meeting time consistent. Do not change the meeting time often, that will confuse students so a fewer number of students will appear. Set the general meeting agenda so that it is relevant to students’ needs such as providing transfer information or scholarship information with actual recipients’ stories. This will attract more members to attend the meetings. The Chapter needs to encourage more members to volunteer on the HIA and College Projects. If more members become involved in chapter activities, more information and ideas will be sha...

by Christian Glatz “Earth is the cradle of mankind, but one cannot live in the cradle forever” (Konstantin Tsiolkovsky).  We are destined to explore, when you observe a toddler the one thing he wants to do more than anything is crawl and go off to the unknown… and place anything he finds in his mouth, but I digress. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established on July 29, 1958. NASA’s main purpose is to conduct aeronautics and aerospace research, focused on better understanding Earth through space. During the Nerd Nation convention I attended an Educational Forum headed by NASA’s Director of safety and Mission Assurance from the Kennedy Space Center, he gave us a first-hand look at the risks and rewards of exploring celestial frontiers. So, have you ever thought “What does NASA do for me?” Well, do you like your polarized sun glasses? Or your cellphone? How about using GPS to navigate while driving? Or have you ever used Velcro??. In order for humans...

by Heebeom Yang As a future graduate student, I want to plan my future educational journey. This is why I attended the Top Transfer Tips education forum at the PTK International Convention in Orlando, Florida. This forum explained how to carry the success I have found at my two-year college with me as I transfer to my four-year college. Different people have different goals to achieve during their educational journey. It is true that two-year colleges act as a stepping-stone to a four-year college and a bachelor’s degree. If we want to take this path, we should make our plans ahead of time and ask questions to four-year college advisors because each college has its own requirements. The most important thing we can do to make the transfer process run smoothly is plan ahead. For example, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences requires their transfer students to take Statistics, Calculus 1 and English composition. Also, they have an optional requirement to...

By Heebeom Yang What is the best way for the chapter to use its time throughout the year? We are always running out of time. Let me be honest with you, our chapter Alpha Theta Phi ran out of time while trying to complete our College Project and Honors in Action project.  Based on my experience of constantly running out of time, I chose to attend an Educational Forum on Competitive Edge at the PTK International Convention in Orlando. However, instead of discussing the program, the forum focused on time management. With a limited amount of time, what should a chapter focus on? It was the first question to answer for the discussion leader. In fact, I never thought about how our chapter manages time. We just made a timeline to divide our work and followed the day by day schedule by using Google Calendar. I shared how the Alpha Theta Phi chapter managed their time with the discussion leader and he told me that our chapter follows  one of the strategic planning cycles. A st...

by Tishara Reid  As the Vice President for recruitment and retention of the Alpha Theta Phi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, I had the great opportunity of attending the Phi Theta Kappa International Conference, which was held in Orlando, Florida during the last week of April 2014.       The pinnacle of leadership in Phi Theta Kappa is becoming an international officer. There are five international positions to be held, which include one president and four vice presidents. The four positions represents the four geographic locations. The international president has a number of responsibilities some of  which include, presiding over the international conference, signing all new chapter charters and representing Phi Theta Kappa at regional meetings and educational conferences. Every year, these  5 international officers are chosen by the delegate body at the annual convention and the candidates at this year’s convention were remarkable. Al...

by Esmeralda Vargas During my attendance at Phi Theta Kappa’s International Conference in Orlando, Florida I attended a workshop that elaborated on the ways one can effectively coordinate an event. There are many factors to take into consideration when organizing for an event because even the smallest of details can tremendously effect the affair. Here I will share the tips and tricks one can follow in order to ensure their event is close to flawless.             In order to get an idea of what matters need to be taken care of first, a timeline can be created to help give guidance. List the priorities that immediately need to be taken care of, and at the end of the list write down the items that can wait to be completed. Once this step is finished, then add dates indicating when these tasks should be completed. Next either print the copy or email a copy of your timeline for your peers to follow and begin delegating the work th...

by Esmeralda Vargas It takes vast courage to follow one’s dreams. Sometimes we find ourselves in need of some inspiration. In other words, we need a push to help us pursue the things one loves. I recently joined the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at the international convention. This convention was held in Orlando, Florida and focused on reinforcing the four hallmarks the society pursues which are Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Fellowship. During the international conference there were multiple forums which discussed topics pertaining to these hallmarks. In addition there was a large conference room where all PTK chapter gathered and listened to guest speakers. Alison Levine was one of the guest speakers that participated in the convention. She is an entrepreneur, leader, pioneer and above all, my inspiration. When I heard Ms. Levine speak I felt a shiver run through my body, because she is who I envision myself to be in the future. In addition, the points she made duri...

by Ross Adler During the PTK International Conference held in Orlando, Florida last April 24 to 26, I attended a mini session on how to apply for graduate schools. It was very informative and put the next few years into perspective. First and foremost, it is important for you to write down a timeline on when you wish to go to grad school. Writing it down and sticking to this timeline will help you to keep track of how far you’ve gone and how much you have to do in order to get into grad school. While you’re in the process of preparing for grad school, it is important to build up your network. While you’re completing your undergraduate degree, you should be in contact with alumni, current students, and future students of that college. Don’t hesitate to ask them intelligent questions about the process of applying to gradaute school and how you can make your application stand out. The next step is to choose the right degree or program. There are online self-assessment tools that...

by Ross Adler During the PTK International Conference held in Orlando, Florida last April 24-26, I attended a mini seminar on internships and careers in the International Relations field. In that particular seminar, I learned several ways to potentially land employment and be successful in this field. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the different fields of International Relations. The five general fields of International Relations are politics, economy, public affairs, administration, and consulates. More specifically, politics and economy focus on the relationships between the United States and another country, the public affairs field focus on advancing the United States’ interests abroad, administration deals with background work and making sure that institutions that we have abroad are working properly, and consulates deal with protecting American citizens in other countries as well as issuing visas to foreign nationals who wish to enter the United States. ...

by Christian Glatz Some might say communication is what humans do the moment two or more of us are together. Communication serves as a foundation for planning and organizing, promoting motivation, altering individual's attitudes and socializing. Communication can bring us together, inform us of opportunities or threats, and enable us to rationally discuss coordinated activities. At the same time, poor communication can cause disruptions in the workplace, sport teams, relationships and even start wars. Ergo the importance of being able to communicate in a clear and concise way must be emphasize. During Phi Theta Kappa's International Conference in Orlando, Florida, I was able to attend an educational forum on communication, and the presentation was very informative. A quote by George Bernard Shaw was mentioned “ The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. ” Most of us make the mistake of believing we have clearly communicated our...