Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society recognizing academic excellence in two-year colleges. To be eligible, students must have earned at least 24 credits at Carroll Community College with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above.

The society offers students opportunities for scholarships, intellectual enrichment, and personal development through programs based on Phi Theta Kappa's four hallmarks of scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship. You can learn more about Phi Theta Kappa at www.ptk.org.

Thirty-three Carroll students were inducted into the Alpha Psi Psi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at a ceremony last May. As Phi Theta Kappa inductees, they will be eligible for transfer scholarships to the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Goucher College, Hood College, the Johns Hopkins University of Professional Studies in Business and Education, McDaniel College, St. Mary's College of Maryland, Towson University, the University of Baltimore, UMBC, the University of Maryland College Park, Villa Julie College, and Washington College.

Phi Theta Kappa is a co-sponsor of the All-USA Academic Team. In Maryland, these nominees also comprise the All-Maryland Academic Team. Carroll Community College had two members on the All-Maryland team in 2002, Patricia Patrick and Amanda Schuler.

Current Phi Theta Kappa student officers include Omar Blanca (leadership), Tyler Fogarty (fellowship), and Katie Keirle (service). The service project this semester is an anti-tobacco awareness campaign.

Honor societies are one way Carroll Community College encourages and recognizes academic excellence. This past February, college president Dr. Faye Pappalardo received a Regional Coordinator's Award for her strong support of Phi Theta Kappa.

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Omar Blanca Student

It's a long way from Zihuatanejo to Westminster—about 3,000 miles. Zihuatanejo, on Mexico's Pacific coast about 150 miles northwest of Acapulco, is a fishing village on a well-protected bay. The modern tourist resort of Ixtapa is nearby.

Omar Blanca was working at a five-star hotel with his friend Carlos when fate brought them together with Bonnie and Gene Smith of Finksburg. The Smiths offered the two young men a place to stay should they come to the United States.

Carlos wasn't able to secure a visa right away, but Omar did and came to the U.S. on January 1, 2000. Then 19 years old, with limited English skills, Omar enrolled at Carroll Community College.

"Frankly, I never imagined that I could succeed in a foreign country," Omar related. "After three years of being a full-time student and working part-time at Carroll Community College, I can honestly say that Carroll's faculty and atmosphere helped me tremendously to get to where I am today."

Omar is currently vice president of the Student Government Organization. On schedule to graduate in December, he hopes to transfer to Johns Hopkins University in January.

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