Three Kellogg Community College students in March were awarded prestigious honors from the international Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Raylene Bosier, of Delton, Brent Runyon, of Tekonsha, and Ella Smith, of Battle Creek, were named to the PTK’s All-Michigan Academic Team and honored by the PTK and Michigan Community College Association during an All-Michigan Academic Team Awards ceremony March 13 in East Lansing.
Active PTK students are nominated for the honor by participating colleges. More than two dozen colleges nominated students this year, and KCC’s honorees are among just 84 students making up the 2023 All-Michigan Academic Team statewide.
The trio was accompanied at the awards ceremony by KCC President Dr. Paul Watson, Vice President for Instruction Tonya Forbes, Vice President for Communications and Advancement Eric Greene and Instruction and Student Success Librarian and PTK advisor Rebekah Love. The students were nominated by KCC Student Life Director and PTK advisor Kristin McDermott, who also was in attendance.
“Brent, Ella, and Raylene have each carved out unique ways to contribute to KCC and have been literal gifts to their fellow Bruins,” McDermott said. “It’s been a pleasure to watch them each grow into their own and I’m excited to watch them share their talents wherever their paths take them from here.”
Information about each award recipient follows.
Bosier is a third-year KCC student graduating in May with an Associate in Arts degree and a Business Management Certificate. She is an officer of KCC’s Alpha Nu Eta PTK chapter and works hard to maintain the chapter’s prestigious five-star status. Bosier has worked closely with a graduate student and a dedicated team of volunteers on several environmental projects through local environmental organization Pierce Cedar Creek Institute collecting, processing, sorting and growing native Michigan plant seeds so they can be distributed to repopulate area vegetation.
During third-year KCC student Runyon’s time at KCC, he’s juggled the responsibilities of working in the Student Life Office, maintaining an engaging membership for the Kampus Activities Board student organization digitally during a pandemic, and being a student in the rigorous KCC Foundation Board of Trustees Scholarship program. He has done this while also keeping high marks in competitive EMT and Paramedic coursework.
Smith is a second-year KCC student graduating in May with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Business Management. She intends to transfer to a four-year institution and eventually pursue a career in higher education and student affairs. A KCC Foundation Gold Key Scholar, Smith currently works in KCC’s Student Life Office, is president of the Encore Theatre Club, an officer of KCC’s Alpha Nu Eta PTK chapter and has her hands in every project of the student Kampus Activities Board. Smith is one of the driving forces behind this year’s student-led “Sleuth Squad,” a peer-to-peer assistance program for experienced students to help new students find their way around campus and develop relationships at KCC.
About Phi Theta Kappa at KCC
Phi Theta Kappa is an invitation-only international honor society. KCC students in the organization must have completed 12 or more semester hours with a 3.5 or higher grade-point average. New KCC students may be invited to provisional membership based on their high school academic achievement and leadership activities. For more information about PTK, visit ptk.org.
Pictured in the photo above, from left to right, are KCC Student Life Director and PTK advisor Kristin McDermott, Raylene Bosier, KCC President Dr. Paul Watson, Brent Runyon, Ella Smith and Instruction and Student Success Librarian and PTK advisor Rebekah Love.
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