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:
There 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.
