Alpha Beta Psi Wins At Internationals

National Park College’s (NPC) chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), Alpha Beta Psi, attended the Catalyst International Convention in Aurora, Colorado April 7–9 where they picked up four international awards.

Alpha Beta Psi is part of the Oklahoma/Arkansas region of PTK and had previously won four regional awards including:

  • Honors in Action Theme 1 Award
  • Honors in Action Project Award of Distinction
  • Third place in College Project
  • Most distinguished chapter in OK/AR region

Two women and three men standing in front of a sign that looks neon that says General Session, Phi Theta Kappa CatlystThere are 41 chapters in the region and Alpha Beta Psi was rated as the number one chapter. Alpha Beta Pis was honored to receive one of 50 international awards for Distinguished College Project and to be recognized as number 6 in the country for Distinguished Honors in Action project. They also collected the Beta Alpha Continued Excellence award. There are only 11 of these awarded in the country and it is presented to chapters who achieve Distinguished Chapter recognition for three consecutive years. They were also recognized as the eighth finalist for Most Distinguished Chapter.

Advisor Dr. Rebekah Robinette noted, “The Beta Alpha Continued Excellence and top 10 chapter achievements have never been earned by our chapter at NPC or any chapter in Arkansas.”

This year’s college project consisted of creating a module in the learning management system, D2L, highlighting student services offered on campus. The Honors in Action (HIA) project titled “Positively Affecting Future Generations by Combating Health Care Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Individuals,” studied the new medical laws passed in Arkansas and how they affect the LGBTQ+ community. From this, the students created a directory of affirming providers in the state. Their research showed that many mental and physical health issues are caused or increased by lack of care.

“The experience at Catalyst was amazing,” stated Alpha Beta Psi’s vice president of scholarship Jonah Jericho. "Seeing our chapter’s hard work, passion and teamwork toward our College and Honors in Action projects pay off, made me super proud of our chapter and what we can achieve when we work toward a goal to serve our campus and community.”

Picture left to right: Advisor Dr. Rebekah Robinette, advisor Jason Chism, vice president of scholarship Jonah Jericho, Norma Canales-Villatoro, and vice president of service Jeremy Moody.