Seven Antelope County Natives Inducted Into PTK

Seven Antelope County natives were welcomed into Northeast Community College’s international honor society in a special ceremony recently.

Jordan Mescher of Elgin; Alexa Rae Dennis, Hallie Knutson, Tia Smith, and Hunter Bergman of Neligh; and Joseph O’Brien and William O’Brien of Tilden were seven of 159 students that were installed into Northeast’s Phi Theta Kappa, (PTK), Tau Chi chapter during the spring 2018 induction ceremony held in the Lifelong Learning Center.

Since the installation of Northeast’s Tau Chi chapter in 1996, approximately 3,100 students have been inducted into the international academic honor society for two-year colleges. For more than 80 years, membership in Phi Theta Kappa has signified a singular honor and a willingness to embrace the Society’s shared commitment to academic excellence.  

To be eligible for PTK, students must have earned at least 12 credit hours and achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.5 or above out of a 4.0 system.

Dr. Michael Chipps, president of Northeast Community College, spoke at the ceremony. He told students that their dedication to academic excellence aligns with the College’s commitment to student success.

“If we really believe that teaching and learning is what we’re all about, and that’s very important to a college, you exemplify what that means. You are the individuals who rise above, who really do great work, both academically and professionally.”

Dr. Michele Gill, dean of health and wellness at Northeast, thanked the Tau Chi chapter for serving as “catalysts” in the College’s academic integrity campaign, which included a series of week-long events the chapter developed to inform and educate approximately 1,050 Northeast students on topics such as plagiarism, proper citation and others.

“Your student voice leads to the awareness and importance of academic integrity that’s changing our campus culture and positively moving us forward. Catalysts do just that. They cause change and serve as a stimulus for change.”

The following Northeast Community College students have qualified for PTK during Spring 2018 semester:
Nebraska
​Ainsworth - Elizabeth Goshorn; Arlington - Jacqueline Bartosh; Battle Creek - Leann Aldana, Cody Borgelt; Beemer - Gina Renner; Blair - Madison Kment, Allyson Schlueter; Bloomfield - Ashley Guenther, Wilson Wagner; Bristow - Mary Ruda; Clarkson - MaGyver Brabec, Joseph Kratochvil; Columbus - Ryanne Lueders, Spencer Van Buskirk, Noah Wynn; Creston - Karmen Hake; Elgin - Jordan Mescher; Elyria - Jessica Michalski; Ewing - Hannah Kruntorad; Franklin - Payton Rose; Hampton - Tayler Klassen; Hartington - Adam Loecker, Courtney Pick, Kelby Schommer, Paige Wuebben; Hoskins - Evan Puls, Bailey Wetzel; Howells - Samantha Brester; Hubbard - Caleb Gubbels; Humphrey - Crystal Brandl, Chase Eisenmenger; Lyons - Jacob Nelson; Madison - Kelsey Bartak, Kamara Hackerott, Moriah Hart, Shane Ruh; McCook - Joseph Biegler; Nebraska City - Brennen Bales; Neligh - Alexa Rae Dennis, Hallie Knutson, Tia Smith; Norfolk - Alex Anderson, Joshua Bennett, Zoey Bergman, Taylor Borst, Tricia Brandl, Max Dederman, Shawn French, Nicole Frewing, Zaine Gallagher, Kyle Grashorn, Allison Hasebroock, Dominique Kelberlau, Whitney Lindsay, Jacob Mrsny, Emily Sojka, Halle Wiese; Oakland - Jamie Johnson; Ogallala - Cordell Walker; O’Neill - Breanna Hedstrom; Ord - Dana Fahrenholz, Tanner Knight; Osceola - Trae Meysenburg; Palmer - Michael Wolfe; Pierce - Alexander Retzlaff, Emily Simmons; Pleasanton - Trey Keaschall; Randolph - Sarah Aschoff, Andrew Schnoor; Seward - Lea Kayton, Molly Suhr; Shelby - Delaney Belt; Silver Creek - Sara Czarnick; South Sioux City - Kori Fischer, Juan Hernandez, Lizeth Hernandez, Abdirahman Jama, Sara Navarro, Ashton Wilson; Stanton - Sara Vollbrecht; Verdigre - Madisen Randa, Kayla Vondracek; Wayne - Dannica Chrisman, Ashlee Hingst, Caitlin Janke, Jessica Lueth, Sydnie Niemann, Jacqueline Sherman, Morgan Sievers, Morgan Swanson; Winnebago - Zachary Swanson.

Out of State
CO, Canon City - Elizabeth McCalla
IA, Hospers - Dustin Schmit
IA, Sioux City - Thuy Ho
IL, Elgin - Teagan Pompa
PA, Johnstown - Robert Thomas
SD, Dakota Dunes - Delaney Jensen
SD, Sioux Falls - Ashley Jenkins
SD, Yankton - Preslee Edler
TX, Hughes Springs - Stephen Richardson
International
Italy, Reggio Emilia - Massimiliano Simonazzi

The following Northeast Community College students qualified for PTK during Fall 2017 semester:
Nebraska
Ainsworth - Melissa Franklin; Albion - Staci Sandman; Atkinson - Sarah Hamik, Cody Wells; Battle Creek - Ashley Dittberner; Beemer - Morgan Eisenhauer; Carroll - Mikyla Bartos; Clarkson- Rachel Rupprecht; Coleridge - Joshua Davison; Columbus - Kaitlyn Hogeland; Dakota City - Stacie Pfister; Fullerton - Katherine Shotkoski; Hemingford - Cole Walters; Humphrey - Amy Slama; Kennard - Jacob Miller; Neligh - Hunter Bergman; Norfolk - David Avery, Issa Bissiri, Ana Gonzalez Suarez, Seth Johnson, Yolanda Mendez, Brooklyn Osborne, Bethany Phelps, Justice Price, Justin Snorton, Abdoul Sore, Sabrina Swenson; O’Neill - Jayde Rosenkrans, Logan Connot, Rita Sterns, Tejlor Strope; Palisade - Daryn Carroll; Pierce - Sadie Johanson, Morgan Stone; Platte Center - Rebecca Brauner; Plattsmouth - Jaime Titus; Saint Libory - Kristin Trenhaile; Schuyler - Myiesha Hartman, Allen Zrust; South Sioux City - Nicholle Edwards, Domingo Franco, Maria Garcia-Lemus; Spencer - Alyssa Ludwig; Sutton - Trevor Griess; Tilden - Joseph O’Brien, William O’Brien; Valentine - Maslon Poulsen; Valparaiso - Stephanie Draper; Wakefield - Rachel Backman, Megan Borg, Danika Dorcey, Savannah Nelson; Waterbury - Manjula Seneviratne; West Point - Taylor Miserez, Matthew Schuetze; Winside - Connor Lemke-Elznic.
Out of State
IA, Moville - Celeste Durant
IA, Sioux City - Melissa Cruz Saldana

Northeast Phi Theta Kappa sponsors are Colleen Barnes, criminal justice/sociology instructor, Amanda Nipp, vice president of student services, and Andrea Suhr, physical therapist assistant instructor.
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Northeast Community College offers over 80 concentrations/options of study preparing students for immediate employment or transfer to a four-­year college or university.