Austin Residents Initiated Into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Several Austin residents were recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate society of its kind.

The students from Austin so honored are:

• Brooke Huntley, initiated at Texas State University.

• Carlos Lamkin was initiated at Texas State University.
• Javier Palomares Jr., initiated at The University of Texas at Austin.
• Jamie Figari was initiated at Texas State University.
• William Harries was initiated at The University of Texas at Austin.
• Ashley Hayden, at Texas State University.
• Audrey McNay, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Arianna Pizana, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Benjamin Coffey, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Briza Maldonado, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Brokke Hall, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Celeste Williams, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Christine Obert-Hong, The University of Texas at Austin.
• David Hernandez, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Evelin Caro Gutierrez, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Fortunato Medrano, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Iman Shah, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Jonathan Villela, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Katherine Harmon, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Lexye Meeks, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Louis Alcorn, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Patrick Moloney, Texas State University.
• Rani Davina Chan, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Savannah Shifflet, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Scott Staniewicz, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Abbey Suslavich, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Lindsey Zeiler, The University of Texas at Austin.
• Sarah Pellien, Texas Woman's University.

These residents are among some 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter, officials explained.

To put the honor in further context: Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its mission: "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."

About Phi Kappa Phi

Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated into Phi Kappa Phi. Some of the organization's notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to outstanding students and members through graduate and dissertation fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, funding for post-baccalaureate development, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.phikappaphi.org.