Phi Beta Kappa Inducts 57 New Members
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – In a commencement-weekend ceremony at the Mahaney Center for the Arts, 57 Middlebury College students were elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest honor society for the liberal arts and sciences in the United States. The new members join 10 classmates who were inducted last fall after three years at Middlebury.
“It is a privilege to identify and recognize the students who have most excelled here, and we hope that you in turn will take this recognition seriously” said Jane Chaplin, president of Middlebury’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and the James I. Armstrong Professor of Classics. “The society which you are joining no longer sponsors the kind of philosophical activities for which it was created, but it continues to promote the place of learning in the world. In electing you, we are encouraging and expecting you to be learners and advocates of learning whether or not you ever again find yourself in a formal academic setting.”
Chaplin described some of rich history and traditions surrounding Phi Beta Kappa, which began at the College of William and Mary in 1776. One of the traditional symbols most often identified with Phi Beta Kappa is the key, which the society developed in its early days. Middlebury owns one of the oldest Phi Beta Kappa keys still in existence, Chaplin noted, holding up a key that belonged to Middlebury’s first president, Jeremiah Atwater.
Graduating senior Hyeon-Seok Tom Yu, who was inducted last fall after three years at Middlebury, gave the student address. Yu told of his personal college journey and redefining his ideas about college success, from a focus on grade point average and job security to a broader perspective on the reasons for a liberal education
“I think the 3-digit number [GPA] can be much more meaningful with an honest identification of its purpose,” said Yu. “For me, thinking about what PBK stands for – learning and friendship, in particular – was the starting point.”
Two students were presented the Phi Beta Kappa Prize, which is bestowed “To the graduating senior(s) whose scholarly or artistic accomplishment and breadth, and contribution to the intellectual life of the community, best exemplify the Society’s regard for intellectual excellence.” The two students were Katherine Dold Bauman and Benjamin Marshall Clark.
Susan Baldridge, vice president of Middlebury’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and provost, led the group in the traditional oath of induction, then introduced the new members to the audience of family, friends, and faculty members.
Each year the Middlebury chapter elects up to ten percent of the senior class to membership: Two percent of the class is elected in August, on the basis of six semesters’ work, and up to an additional eight percent is elected in May, on the basis of work completed over eight semesters.
Students elected after three years at Middlebury:
Katherine Elizabeth Baughman
Elise Katherine Cabral
Benjamin Marshall Clark
Aneleisa Y. Gladding-Hinton
Katherine Ramsey Hamilton
Benjamin Dunning Harris
Andrew Michael Kreuzman
John Loebs
Brian A. Rowett
Hyeon-Seok Tom Yu
Students elected after four years at Middlebury:
Olivia Julika Aborn
Daniel Easton Anderson
Mark Jeffrey Balderston
Katherine Dold Bauman
Eric M. Benoit
Elisa A. Berger
Joshua Berlowitz
Valerie C. Braddick
Timothy Elias Crocker
John Erik DesBois
John James Desmarais
Clare Katherine Donohue-Meyer
Rachel Gabrielle Frank
Shelby Elise Friedman
Dylan Christopher Gilbert
Rebecca Mary Bowen Goodman
Andrew Thomas Goulet
Ilana Mollie Gratch
Margaret Olivia Hadley
Lisa Beth Han
Helena Natalia Hlavaty
Peter Frederic James
Sarah Elizabeth James
Zitong Bruce Jia
John Martin Karabinos
Adam P. Kelley
Peter Kiley-Bergen
Youngji Camille Kim
Kyle Garwin Kysela
Winson K. Law
Mary Minhua Magnuson
Nitya Devi Mankad
Emma Louise McDonald
Austin C. Nielsen-Reagan
Hanna Rose Uakea Nowicki
Madison Lyn Orcutt
Elizabeth Atwood Oyler
Kristina Pallová
Gioia Linnea Pappalardo
Jana Margaret Kalustian Parsons
Dylan Wilson Peters
Daniel Robert Pierce
Jena Haley Ritchey
Michael Brian Russo
Ali Azzam Salem
Sadie Mary Darden Shackelford
AnnaClare C. Smith
Matthew Thomas Stanley
Sarah I. Steinberg
Alana Mikaela Taylor
Annalise Taylor
Thilan Mackenzie Tudor
Rebecca Anne Van Dercook
Fan Wu
Zhiwen Yao
Yashu Zhang
Parker Ellis Ziegler