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

by Dong Ju Lee My name is Dong Ju Lee, a current student at LaGuardia Community College studying Business Administration. I believe that I am an individual who is driven by motivation and rooted in inspiration. I strive to become a better student every day by putting in my best effort to get closer to achieving my goals. My short term goal is to transfer to Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College for a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, and my long term goal is to attend NYU or Columbia University for an MBA in Finance. With the opportunities that the PTK Honor Society provides, I strongly believe that it will help me to advance myself as a student, and exponentially grow as a person. Two years ago, I was faced with a devastating situation as a student. Financial hardships disallowed me to continue school, and that had only made me want to attend school more. The restrictions to higher my education helped me to work harder as a student, and I now think that was a great learning exp...

by Kai-Shanet Blackwood Upon arrival to the Strong Museum of Play, I was greeted with huge, brightly colored toy building blocks which was part of the building’s exterior facade; it immediately drew my attention towards the building. However, it was not until I entered the building that I realized my initial impression of what I expected to see in this museum was all wrong. I thought the museum would be a formal display of different toys and how it may have evolved or maybe have information on the history of play but when I entered I saw children walking around with their parents and a big toy store. It was unexpected but a relief to know I may actually be playing. After receiving my armband, my friends and I were greeted with a woman dressed in an Elmo from Sesame Street costume. For the fun of it, my friends and I decided to take a few pictures with Elmo. Before we officially entered the exhibit area there was a quote on the wall above us that read “It is a happy talent to know...

by Hyun Lee The Phi Theta Kappa HIA Regional Conference in Rochester, NY was the second conference that I have attended. It was larger compared to the first conference that we had over the summer in Westchester. I found it to be more dynamic regarding the content because we had keynote speakers and many activities to do. Among all the programs from the conference, I found the seminar group activity to be the most valuable because we were able to share our thoughts with PTK members from around the New York region. These Seminar Groups were discussion sessions that took place after we listened to each keynote speaker at the conference. It was interesting to see how everyone differently interprets ideas and seeks solutions throughout my seminar group. Our seminar leader was one of our advisors from LaGuardia, Ann Matsuuchi. She was a great moderator because she made sure that everyone had a chance to speak up their opinions so no one would feel excluded in the group. During the sem...

By Diana Gil Barona I do not tend to watch or hear motivational speeches because all they are trying to do is sell a product or trying to influence the way someone acts or behaves; however, in our regional HIA conference in Rochester, NY, I had the  opportunity to listen to Justin Fosu-Jone who more than giving a normal, boring speech trying to convince his audience, he gave an interactive, heart warming speech. The way he presented his material made the audience feel related to it and willing to interact in the different activities he had during his presentation, from walking around the room to acting and singing. He spoke about four different kinds of personalities which are expressive, drivers, amiable and analytics. The expressive tend to challenge the reality and inspire people to think outside of the box. The drivers prefer take over relationships, they also like to have a To-Do list and get things done on time. This type of personality loves to be in charge; the...

By Dipa Rai Getting an opportunity to attend the 2016 HIA/Leadership PTK conference, which was hosted by Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York was a wonderful experience for me. This was actually the first time that I was away from my home for three days (Nov 28-30). Our officers team from Alpha Theta Phi chapter, along with our two advisors, headed to the conference on Friday missing the Monday class schedule which was exciting and overwhelming at the same time. After a 6-7 hour bus ride, we were greeted by Monroe Community College chapter. They were full of excitement and energy.  After leaving our stuff in our hotel room, we headed down to the opening session of the conference and for dinner. The next day, we were divided into different seminar groups for discussion after each keynote speaker. This division into different seminar groups was really effective in terms of getting us to meet new people, to learn about other PTK members' experiences and to li...

by Chokey Tenzin In my collective culture, we are taught to always respect our elders, which can be a good thing but not so much when we are expected to follow instructions without asking any questions. As a result, I grew up to speak only when I’m being spoken to. Coming to America at the age of 14 was quite an adjustment, the culture was completely opposite to my own. Since arriving, I’ve learned that you tend to fall behind when you don’t speak up or ask questions. So, I had to change that perspective because I felt that I was alienating myself from various growth opportunities such as networking with people and sharing ideas. Now, as a college student, I’m still learning to find myself to try new things and be confident to speak up for what I believe in. After I graduate from LaGuardia in fall 2017, I plan to continue my education, and simultaneously work at a law firm, where I can gain hands on experience. Once I have my Bachelor's Degree, I would like to further continue to ...

By: Soleil Griffin At the Phi Theta Kappa New York Region Honors Conference, there were a variety of Keynote speakers who attended. One speaker in particular, Dr. Elizabeth Johnston, focused her speech on how beauty plays a major role when it comes to getting noticed; especially in politics. The title of her presentation was called “Have You Seen Her? ‘The Politics of Beauty and the Problem of (In)Visibility’”. This is where she focused on how the campaign election could affect Hillary Clinton and how ones beauty affects many women in our society today. In her speech she noted that beauty could give us access to power; however, that power is always limited. When it comes to getting hired in the work place women tend to earn less than man even if they have the same educational background. That being said, women tend to make up only 4% of CEO’s for Fortune 500 companies. Regardless of whether they meet the qualifications for a job, women tend to be judged based on how they look...