College of Liberal Arts and Sciences inducts 38 students into Phi Beta Kappa

MACON – Thirty-eight students were inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society by Mercer University’s Zeta of Georgia Chapter during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Prospective Phi Beta Kappa inductees are usually seniors among the top 10 percent of their graduating class who have completed a broad range of liberal arts and sciences coursework, including foreign language study and mathematics. Exceptional students meeting the Society’s requirements may also be considered as juniors.

This year’s inductees include:

• Franklynne Banks, a political science and Africana studies double-major from Albany, Georgia
• Emily Bartlett, a creative writing, communication studies and Spanish triple-major from Marietta, Georgia
• Mary Bonner, a biology major from Albany, Georgia
• Lakyah Bullock, a psychology and Spanish double-major from Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Lauren Cheek, a biology major from Waleska, Georgia
• Ivy Clarke, a creative writing and English double-major from San Antonio, Texas
• Ashley Conlon, an art major from Grayson, Georgia
• Danielle Countryman, a global health studies, anthropology and international affairs triple-major from Columbus, Georgia
• Cameron Dawkins, a global health studies and Spanish double-major from Duluth, Georgia
• Sally Deitchman, a global development studies and global health studies double-major from Charlotte, North Carolina
• India Ellison, a biology and Spanish double-major from Vestavia, Alabama
• Arlind Ferhati, an international affairs and French double-major from Roswell, Georgia
• Lisa Fortin, a biology and international affairs double-major from San Diego, California
• Srividya Ganapathy, a global health studies major from Duluth, Georgia
• Theori Henry, an international affairs and global development studies double-major from Columbus, Georgia
• Taylor Irwin, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Harlem, Georgia
• Kallysta Jones, an international affairs major from Dallas, Georgia
• Braedon Kelly, an English major from Dacula, Georgia
• Grace Kim, a psychology and communication studies double-major from Suwanee, Georgia
• Christina Kinder, a neuroscience major from Rome, Georgia
• Emma Kraft, a global development studies, international affairs, political science and Spanish quadruple-major from Fountain Inn, South Carolina
• Gage Lee, a biology major from Cataula, Georgia
• Gabriella Longway, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Lake Mary, Florida
• Stephen McCarthy, a law and public policy major from Covington, Georgia
• Kallie McDaniel, an English, French and history triple-major from Clermont, Florida
• Nieves Melendez Ristuccia, a philosophy major from Woodstock, Georgia
• Sarah Moore, an English and Spanish double-major from Atlanta, Georgia
• Vy Nguyen, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Ellenwood, Georgia
• Omar Peralta Rios, a chemical commerce and Spanish double-major from Waycross, Georgia
• Daniel Pham, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Centerville, Georgia
• Nadia Pressley, a journalism and global development studies double-major from Stockbridge, Georgia
• Jordan Pruitt, a biology and Spanish double-major from Gainesville, Georgia
• Kaylee Radford, a neuroscience major from Marietta, Georgia
• Alexandria Swinson, a political science major from Hinesville, Georgia
• Jennifer Villegas, a biology and Spanish double-major from Macon, Georgia
• Madison Wagner, a neuroscience and Spanish double-major from Oro Valley, Arizona
• Jillian Walsh, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Chevy Chase, Maryland
• Natalie Wilson, an international affairs, French and global development studies triple-major from Cumming, Georgia

These students make up Mercer’s sixth induction class since the University installed its chapter and inducted its inaugural class in 2016.

This year’s induction ceremony took place March 26 in the Presidents Dining Room inside the University Center on the Macon campus. The ceremony was held in accordance with federal and state public health guidelines for events during COVID-19

Founded by five students at the College of William and Mary on Dec. 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society has chapters at 290 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 alumni associations and more than half a million members worldwide.

Only about 10 percent of the nation’s institutions of higher learning have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. And only about 10 percent of the arts and sciences graduates of these distinguished institutions are invited to join the Society, which makes the invitation process one of the most selective in the nation. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court justices and more than 150 Nobel laureates.

About the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences serves as the academic cornerstone of one of America’s oldest and most distinctive institutions of higher learning. The oldest and largest of Mercer’s 12 schools and colleges, it is a diverse and vibrant community, enrolling more than 1,900 students, dedicated to learning and service through the practice of intellectual curiosity, respectful dialogue and responsible citizenry. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers majors in more than 30 areas of study, including more than a dozen pre-professional academic tracks, with classes taught by an outstanding faculty of scholars. In 2015, Mercer was awarded a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society that recognizes exceptional achievement in the arts and sciences. For more information, visit liberalarts.mercer.edu.