Adding to multiple state honors, Lone Star College-CyFair’s Beta Lambda Mu Chapter garnered a Top 100 Chapter Award (from 2,500 chapters) at the Phi Theta Kappa International Catalyst Convention, held virtually in April.
“This year has been challenging and full of firsts for our team. We learned to work as a team during our new virtual environment, stepped out of our comfort zones (while conducting projects fully virtual) and grew as student leaders,” said Ross Blake, incoming chapter president. “We are most proud of the fact that we were still able to win awards for our projects, even though our circumstances were not always the best.”
The pandemic forced Beta Lambda Mu officers to rework their original College Project plan of helping new students adjust to their new surroundings on the Barker Cypress campus. The new virtual plan became creating several PowerPoints, which are available on the college’s tutoring web page, that detailed how to be successful in the online environment.
The officers teamed up to educate themselves and the college community on the dangerous health and environmental risks due to toxins released from e-waste in landfills for their Honors in Action Theme 2: Natural and Constructed Environments project. Improper recycling of toxic e-waste materials not only harms those working at unsafe recycling facilities, but also poisons the ground and air in the area.
These two projects earned Beta Lambda Mu an Award of Merit for College Project and an Award of Distinction Honors in Action at the March Phi Theta Kappa Texas Regional Convention. LSC-CyFair’s chapter also received a Texas Top Chapter Award and a Five Star Chapter Award.
In addition, chapter advisor Leslie Jewkes and 2020-2021 officers - Kelli Estell, president, and vice presidents Ross Blake, Charles Dickson, Lauren Parker and Esperant Kolande - were inducted in the Hall of Honor, with another member Khang Nguyen entered in the Hall of Honor as VP of District IV of the Texas Region of Phi Theta Kappa.
"The Texas District IV Hall of Honor is an outstanding achievement that can only be earned once,” said Blake. “Having all of us receive this award at the same time is incredible.”
While awards and recognition help attract members to the chapter and projects, Blake said “Being able to put such awards and the experience of creating and doing the projects on scholarship applications, transfer applications, and resumés is one of the main attractions of being an active Phi Theta Kappa member.”
As the 2021-2022 president, Blake said the annual goal is keeping their Five Star status, winning awards, and having as much fun as possible doing it. Joining him to lead this award-winning chapter, which inducted 150+ new members last month, will be Dickson, Parker, Estell and Kolande returning as vice presidents, along with new vice presidents Kristan Venable and Kristal Venable.
For information on LSC-CyFair’s award-winning chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honorary organization for community college students, email Leslie.A.Jewkes@LoneStar.edu.