Northland Pioneer College’s (NPC) Alpha Gamma Tau Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for two-year college students, welcomed 54 new members during an induction ceremony held Friday, Feb. 21, at NPC’s Snowflake/Taylor – Silver Creek Campus Performing Arts Center.
NPC’s President, Dr. Von Lawson, addressed the new PTK scholars, along with their family and friends, applauding their academic achievements and the significance of joining the PTK honor society. Lawson asked the group, “What is success?” He then encouraged the scholars to look over their shoulders. “Success is a mindset,” he told them, “I know each of you have the mindset of success. You took the responsibility, put in the hard work, the study, the sacrifice, and the time away from your family, children, parents, and friends so that you could have this moment in time.” He noted, “You weren’t afraid of failure. You didn’t let anything stop you. You decided that you would be a success.”
He explained why he had asked the students to look over their shoulders. “Success for me is not money or possessions; It’s not degrees.” He explained, “For me, success is when I can look over my shoulder and say I’m happy with what I did yesterday and know that I will do better tomorrow.” He told the inductees, “You are a success not only because of what you’ve earned tonight but because of everything that you will do from this day forward. Share your knowledge and you will do phenomenal things.”
NPC’s 2025 PTK Alpha Gamma Tau Chapter President and NPC student Madison Lane gave charge to the inductees, swearing them in by oath. Assisting with the ceremony were NPC Mathematics Faculty and Chapter Advisor James Gil, student inductee and PTK Vice President of Leadership Rivke Huma, PTK Vice President of Public Relations and student inductee Adriana Benally and PTK Vice President of Fellowship and student inductee Daniel Reabe.
Joining the NPC PTK chapter were:
Holbrook
Karen Baker, Kyra Benally, Rivke Huma and Amber Mitchell.
Winslow
Corey Cummings, Alejandro Guzman, Brandon McLaws, Laci Padilla, Kee Powers, Tinequea Sales and Tina Wilson.
Snowflake
Kim Baumkoetter, Mannix Czech, Ramzi Gonsalves, Melissa Holan, Alyssa Mowers and Nathan Peterson.
Taylor
Daniel Reabe, Ammon Tingey and Kaylan Young.
Heber
Jana-Ray Nielipinski.
Kayenta
Adrina Benally.
Keams Canyon
Drew Chee.
Concho
Keri Daggett, Eliza Escobedo, Amanda McCoy and Blake Wegele.
Eagar
Steven Vickers.
Lakeside
Marcella Garcia, Gabriel Johnson, Sariah Montonya, Genevieve Quay and Sara Young.
Pinetop
Madison Lane, Gabriella Medina and Eli Thompson.
Pinon
Lelaney Benally.
Shonto
Kailee Bryant.
Show Low
Shantell Baird, Erica Campell, Jayda Halverson, Jennifer Kerr, Sara Kress, Graecyn Lewis, Scott Noreen, Nancy Palmer, Trace Shaffery, Jocelyn Tewalt and Anna Uscilo.
Saint Johns
Layla Cisco and Tristan Greene.
Springerville
Maggie Wagner.
Whiteriver
Fallon Butterfield and Karlita Pablo.
To be eligible for PTK membership, students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of associate degree coursework and earn a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher. Students must also maintain a high academic standing throughout their enrollment in the two-year college, generally a 3.25 GPA. As members, students are eligible for a number of scholarship programs, and in some cases, distinguished placement at four-year colleges and universities.
For membership information, contact NPC’s PTK Chapter Advisor James Gil at (928) 289-6563 or visit www.npc.edu/ptk.
