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

The Real Guidelines for HIA by Erica Nieves    From October 16-18 2015, the Alpha Theta Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa attended the New York Regional Conference in Syracuse, New York. There were very interesting keynote speeches and presentations during the Conference. There’s one presentation that caught my utmost attention. It was called, “What the Judges are Thinking?” This presentation pertains to how to have a successful Honors in Action (HIA) project.         The HIA project is a research project that PTK members work on through the summer and fall semesters. We begin with a selected topic, called the Honors Study Topic, every year. From that topic, there comes numbered themes in which students can choose and start their research. For example, this year’s Honors Study Topic was “Frontiers and the Spirit of Exploration”. Out of eight themes, we choose Theme 3: Quests of Human Expression. Our topic is the creative process of La...

"Making the Most Out of Your Time at Community College" by Kenley Liu I want to be part of an organization that helps an individual grow not only academically but personally. With so many ways to get involved at Laguardia, I discover that Phi Theta Kappa is the most compatitble organization for me to colloborate with. . Phi Theta Kappa is the most recognized program for community college students. Their mission statement is to aid students with high aspirations to develop the professionalism a nd leadership. That ideology is something that I look for and it fits closely to my personal intentions. My personal intentions are to become a writer in the future. Having more access to like-minded individuals within Phi Theta Kappa helps me grow my connections with like-minded individuals. Besides gaining more connections, I want to become a leader. The opportunities given are excellent. There are volunteering and conventions available that I am interested in. Attending ...

by Sisi Chen The Senior College Transfer Fair at the 2015 Phi theta Kappa International Convention was held on Thursday, April 16. As a part of the Marketplace events, many colleges and universities from across the country jointed this transfer fair session. Although most of the schools were from Texas, there were about 34 states represented in total. In the New York section, the Columbia University-School of General Studies stood out not only because it is ranked one of the highest universities in the United States, but also it offers special scholarship for students who are a members of Phi Theta Kappa. This is exciting news for students who want to transfer to a private Ivy League research university. With the help of this type of scholarship, the American dream can be reached a little easier. Also, the School of General Studies is the finest liberal arts college in the United States created for returning and nontraditional students seeking an undergraduate degree. The S...

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...