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

One of the most important events of every single Phi Theta Kappa International Convention is the election that takes place to elect and install a new International Officer Team. Any member can run - they don’t have to have held an office previously, but many chapter and regional officers have a go at it. Each chapter in attendance chooses a voting delegate. Like any campaign, the candidates are available ahead of time to meet and get to know. They even have campaign teams who wear official “costumes”! This year, as Chapter President, I was selected as our voting delegate. This meant I was also the voting delegate at the Regional convention, but because I ended up running for the position of Alumni Representative, the duty was transferred to Rachel. This time, I wasn’t running for an international officer position because I am graduating and will be moving on to a four year school in the Fall. Although there is only one voting delegate, the entire team decides who to vote for. It’s an e...

On our first day in San Antonio, The Alpha Theta Phi team attended the Phi Theta Kappa Academy, a day long leadership and fellowship training. This was a bonus portion of the International Convention that we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend. The opening speaker was Dr. David Burkus, the founder of the podcast LDRLB (leader lab) and author of The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas. After his speech, we broke into small seminar groups that were lead in a focus group format on improving join rates for Phi Theta Kappa. We then came back as a large group for lunch and the closing speaker, cellist Stephanie Winters. Dr. Burkus began his talk by touching on the creative process - specifically how we see creativity, and creative thinking skills. He spoke about Paul Erbös and the breadth of his knowledge outside his own field in mathematics. Erbös may have been a mathematician but he studied a wide range of topics an...

If you missed the PTK International Convention this year, trust me you missed something spectacular! This year we were honored to have many absolutely brilliant and influential guest speakers throughout the convention. During our first general session, we had the one and only John Legend! Yes, the musical sensation himself blessed the stage with his presence and wise words. For most of his time on stage, he did not perform but instead gave a powerful speech on the educational system and his own life experiences. John Legend was born in Ohio where he went to school and lived with his family. Due to catastrophic events during his later childhood, it took a toll on his schoolwork eventually. However, regardless of the trials and the path he may have chosen, he ensured he obtained his education and broadened his knowledge by going to college. Mr. Legend worked in the corporate world for years but realized music was his passion. He did not have it easy as a musician because it took him year...

The International convention was one filled with unlimited information, networking, fellowship and exploration. Hosted in the city of San Antonio, Texas, the time there was definitely worthwhile. During my time there, there were many small sessions we were urged to attend. One in particular focused on the successful tips to transfer to Ivy League colleges. In this session, the audience learned about different ways one could write their application essays and tips on what to write or what not to write. Tips included the following. You should include unique things about yourself, you should not be generic, you should always share a story that made an impact on your current success, and explain how will the school you are interested in be of help to you and why you are interested in that school. You should always call or email the college if you have any questions and this will you can build relationships and network that will be in your favor later on. It is very important that you vis...