CHAPEL HILL — Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most honored college honorary society, inducted 236 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students as new members. Less than 1% of all college students qualify for acceptance.
The recent induction ceremony featured remarks by Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz and Provost J. Christopher Clemens, and a keynote address by Terry Rhodes, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of music.
Past and present Phi Beta Kappa members from across the country include 17 American presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, more than 150 Nobel Laureates, and numerous artistic, intellectual, and political leaders.
Phi Beta Kappa membership is open to undergraduates in college and professional degree programs who meet stringent eligibility requirements.
A student who has completed 75 hours of course work in the liberal arts and sciences with a GPA of 3.85 or better on a 4-point scale is eligible for membership. Also eligible is any student who has completed 105 hours of course work in the liberal arts and sciences with a 3.75 GPA. Grades earned at other universities are not considered.
Phi Beta Kappa has 290 chapters nationwide. UNC- Chapel Hill’s chapter, Alpha of North Carolina, was founded in 1904 and is the oldest of seven chapters in the state. Each year Phi Beta Kappa chapters and alumni associations across the country raise and distribute more than $1 million in awards, scholarships and prizes benefiting high schools and college students.
Phi Beta Kappa officers at Carolina for 2021-2022 are students Kennedy Miller, president; Lucas Cain, vice president; and Mary Virginia Glennon, recording secretary. James L. Leloudis, professor of history, and Peter T. Grauer, associate dean for Honors Carolina and director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, are chapter executive secretary and faculty advisor.
Listed below are the names of all inductees, 170 of whom are from North Carolina. The names appear below in alphabetical order by North Carolina county, then by state and country. All study in the College of Arts and Sciences except where otherwise noted.
(Editor’s note: This list has been edited to include only students from Richmond and surrounding counties.)
Chatham County
Avery Elizabeth Harris, a senior with business administration and economics majors and a sustainability studies minor, of Siler City.
Jillian Mary Janssen, a junior with a psychology major and history and exercise and sports science minors, of Apex.
Columbus County
Makell Stephen Brown, a junior with a nutrition major and a chemistry minor, of Riegelwood.
Cumberland County
Christopher Lyn, a junior with biology and exercise and sport science majors and a chemistry minor, of Fayetteville.
Lee County
Payton Lynne Millikin, a senior with English and comparative literature and history majors, of Sanford.
Sydney Claire Pope, a senior with communication studies and dramatic art majors and a writing for the screen and stage minor, of Broadway.
Moore County
Lorin Noelle Wagler, a senior with economics and management and society majors and an entrepreneurship minor, of Southern Pines.
Randolph County
Robert Troy Hall, a senior with economics and political science majors and a statistics and analytics minor, of Randleman.
Vanessa Marie Sakae Mesmer, a senior with biology and neuroscience majors and a chemistry minor, of Franklinville.
Elizabeth Redding, a junior with chemistry and dramatic art majors, of Asheboro.
Richmond County
Alexandra Mackenzie Webb, a senior with public policy and peace, war, and defense majors and a history minor, of Hamlet.
Union County
Anna Cassidy, a junior with a neuroscience major and a chemistry minor, of Indian Trail.
Janice Hiu Cheuk, a junior with information science and psychology majors, of Waxhaw.
Alexandra Domrongchai, a senior with an American studies major, of Indian Trail.
Amy Jewel Estrada, a senior with political science and women’s and gender studies majors and a social and economic justice minor, of Waxhaw.
Nitisha Jagarlamudi, a senior with a business administration major and a Chinese minor, of Weddington.
Manav Parikh, a junior with environmental health sciences and psychology majors, of Monroe.
Alicia Rose Robbins, a senior with media and journalism and Italian majors, of Matthews.
Crystal Stephanie Silva, a senior with a communication studies major and studio art and social and economic justice minors, of Waxhaw.
Harper Caroline Slusher, a senior with global studies and studio art majors, of Monroe.
