Alpha Chi ceremony applauds two years' worth of inductees
Saturday, April 24, 2021
Thirty-three Pennsylvania College of Technology students were welcomed Saturday afternoon into the Pennsylvania Xi Chapter of Alpha Chi, a national honor society for those seeking bachelor's degrees, during an in-person event that also celebrated an equal number of 2020 inductees who were deprived of official recognition a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Membership is open to baccalaureate students from all academic disciplines and is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s junior and senior classes. Acceptance by Alpha Chi recognizes previous accomplishments and provides an opportunity for continued growth and service. As a phrase from the society’s constitution suggests, the organization seeks to find ways to assist students in “making scholarship effective for good.”
President Davie Jane Gilmour was among those delivering remarks at the ceremony, held under strict safety practices in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium.
The president, who welcomed prospective students to campus in the morning as part of Spring Visit Day, said the afternoon ceremony – honoring students who distinguish themselves in the classroom and in service to the institution – combined with that earlier event to underscore "why we work at Penn College."
"I have enjoyed hearing about the jobs you've secured and the future that you're planning," she told the inductees. "This is clearly a group of students who have dedicated themselves to more than just finishing their studies."
Others taking part included chapter officers Constance J. Plankenhorn (president), Gloria F. Boronow (vice president) and Jacob A. Bamonte (social media manager); Joanna K. Flynn, dean of curriculum and instruction; the chapter's faculty co-sponsors – Tammy A. Miller, instructor of biology, and Marc E. Bridgens, associate professor of HVAC technology – and Mary Ann Hollenbach, assistant to the president's office.
The college’s latest inductees to the Pennsylvania Xi Chapter, 15 of whom attended the proceedings, are:
Adrienne M. Ayers, Mansfield, nursing; Kyle Benton, Potomac, Maryland, industrial design; Connor J. Burke, St. Clair, nursing; Zackary R. Burkhart, Milton, building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration; Courtney M. Case, Troy, physician assistant studies; Jack C. Dincher, South Williamsport, applied management; Brynn M. Dunkleberger, Williamsport, pre-physician assistant studies; Caleigh Guenot, Karthaus, nursing; Chelsey J. Horner, Trout Run, nursing.
Pete H. Kane, Annandale, New Jersey, manufacturing engineering technology; Tanner J. Layne, Chesapeake, Virginia, information assurance and cyber security; Shelby L. Martin, Clear Spring, Md., pre-dental hygiene-B.S.; Byron S. Matthews, Canton, business administration: marketing concentration; Regan E. Miller, Wyalusing, pre-nursing-B.S.; Vi N. Nguyen, Lancaster, dental hygiene; Kathryn A. Plankenhorn, Montoursville, physician assistant studies; Sara L. Plankenhorn, Williamsport, applied management.
Maan I. Saba, Allentown, dental hygiene; John J. Shadle, Williamsport, business administration: marketing concentration; Daniel P. Shaw, Jamison, residential construction technology and management; Phillip J. Silvagni, Williamsport, pre-physician assistant studies; Dhruv Singh, Dayton, New Jersey, automotive technology management; Cameron B. Snyder, Mifflinburg, automation engineering technology: robotics & automation; Destin L. Snyder, Lykens, electronics and computer engineering technology; Adam M. Solecki, Birdsboro, information assurance and cyber security.
Jordan Specht, Frederick, Maryland, nursing; Dustin M. Taylor, Shinglehouse, physician assistant studies; Justin J. Thomma, Bethlehem, industrial design; Dang H. Tran, Shamokin Dam, software development & information management; Mark S. Wagner, Indiana, residential construction technology and management; Alexis M. Witherite, Spring Mills, applied management; Latricia R. Yocum, Watsontown, physician assistant studies; and Alexis N. Youse, Pottstown, applied management.
The 2020 Alpha Chi class was also invited to participate, as its induction ceremony was canceled last spring. Seven of those students attended Saturday's event:
Christopher M. Ansbach, Ashland, game and simulation programming; Gloria F. Boronow, Denver, Pa., applied management; Zachary A. Crise, Mount Holly Springs, game and simulation programming; Caroline N. Green, Picture Rocks, nursing; Tabitha G. Litschi, Myerstown, nursing; Chaela K. Swink, Muncy, physician assistant studies; and Jennifer N. Troutman, Altoona, dental hygiene.
Membership is open to baccalaureate students from all academic disciplines and is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s junior and senior classes. Acceptance by Alpha Chi recognizes previous accomplishments and provides an opportunity for continued growth and service. As a phrase from the society’s constitution suggests, the organization seeks to find ways to assist students in “making scholarship effective for good.”
President Davie Jane Gilmour was among those delivering remarks at the ceremony, held under strict safety practices in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium.The president, who welcomed prospective students to campus in the morning as part of Spring Visit Day, said the afternoon ceremony – honoring students who distinguish themselves in the classroom and in service to the institution – combined with that earlier event to underscore "why we work at Penn College."
"I have enjoyed hearing about the jobs you've secured and the future that you're planning," she told the inductees. "This is clearly a group of students who have dedicated themselves to more than just finishing their studies."
Others taking part included chapter officers Constance J. Plankenhorn (president), Gloria F. Boronow (vice president) and Jacob A. Bamonte (social media manager); Joanna K. Flynn, dean of curriculum and instruction; the chapter's faculty co-sponsors – Tammy A. Miller, instructor of biology, and Marc E. Bridgens, associate professor of HVAC technology – and Mary Ann Hollenbach, assistant to the president's office.
The college’s latest inductees to the Pennsylvania Xi Chapter, 15 of whom attended the proceedings, are:
Adrienne M. Ayers, Mansfield, nursing; Kyle Benton, Potomac, Maryland, industrial design; Connor J. Burke, St. Clair, nursing; Zackary R. Burkhart, Milton, building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration; Courtney M. Case, Troy, physician assistant studies; Jack C. Dincher, South Williamsport, applied management; Brynn M. Dunkleberger, Williamsport, pre-physician assistant studies; Caleigh Guenot, Karthaus, nursing; Chelsey J. Horner, Trout Run, nursing.Pete H. Kane, Annandale, New Jersey, manufacturing engineering technology; Tanner J. Layne, Chesapeake, Virginia, information assurance and cyber security; Shelby L. Martin, Clear Spring, Md., pre-dental hygiene-B.S.; Byron S. Matthews, Canton, business administration: marketing concentration; Regan E. Miller, Wyalusing, pre-nursing-B.S.; Vi N. Nguyen, Lancaster, dental hygiene; Kathryn A. Plankenhorn, Montoursville, physician assistant studies; Sara L. Plankenhorn, Williamsport, applied management.
Maan I. Saba, Allentown, dental hygiene; John J. Shadle, Williamsport, business administration: marketing concentration; Daniel P. Shaw, Jamison, residential construction technology and management; Phillip J. Silvagni, Williamsport, pre-physician assistant studies; Dhruv Singh, Dayton, New Jersey, automotive technology management; Cameron B. Snyder, Mifflinburg, automation engineering technology: robotics & automation; Destin L. Snyder, Lykens, electronics and computer engineering technology; Adam M. Solecki, Birdsboro, information assurance and cyber security.
Jordan Specht, Frederick, Maryland, nursing; Dustin M. Taylor, Shinglehouse, physician assistant studies; Justin J. Thomma, Bethlehem, industrial design; Dang H. Tran, Shamokin Dam, software development & information management; Mark S. Wagner, Indiana, residential construction technology and management; Alexis M. Witherite, Spring Mills, applied management; Latricia R. Yocum, Watsontown, physician assistant studies; and Alexis N. Youse, Pottstown, applied management.The 2020 Alpha Chi class was also invited to participate, as its induction ceremony was canceled last spring. Seven of those students attended Saturday's event:
Christopher M. Ansbach, Ashland, game and simulation programming; Gloria F. Boronow, Denver, Pa., applied management; Zachary A. Crise, Mount Holly Springs, game and simulation programming; Caroline N. Green, Picture Rocks, nursing; Tabitha G. Litschi, Myerstown, nursing; Chaela K. Swink, Muncy, physician assistant studies; and Jennifer N. Troutman, Altoona, dental hygiene.