Wrights earn Martin Scholarship as 48 RCC students inducted into PTK

Forty-eight students were inducted into Randolph Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Chapter, Beta Theta Rho, in a ceremony held Saturday, Nov. 18, in the R. Alton Cox Learning Resources Center Auditorium on the Asheboro Campus. Sarah and Sophia Wright were awarded the sixth annual Waymon C. Martin Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the exceptional RCC students who have been inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society,” RCC President/CEO Dr. Shah Ardalan said. “This achievement is a testament to their dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment to academic excellence. We celebrate not only their intellectual prowess but also their leadership, service, and character. This accomplishment is a reflection of their individual efforts and the supportive and nurturing educational environment RCC provides. It is a collective success that speaks volumes about the quality of our students and the dedication of our faculty and staff.”

English/Communications Instructor and PTK Adviser Clark Adams opened the ceremony, and PTK Vice President Jaiden Williams led the Pledge of Allegiance with PTK Public Relations Officer Jonathan Lopez Bautista giving the invocation. After Adams gave a brief history of PTK and RCC’s Chapter, he presented RCC Vice President for Instructional Services Suzanne Rohrbaugh with a certificate, making her an honorary member of the College’s PTK chapter thanks to her unwavering support.

Toi Martin Gray, Waymon C. Martin’s daughter, then presented the Wrights with the scholarship named after her father. Sarah Wright said she is hoping to become a math teacher — even coming back to RCC to teach, while Sophia Wright is looking to work in agriculture. Both students are in RCC’s Student Government Association and Music Club, playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” with SGA President Paulina Escobar for the ceremony.

“Getting this scholarship means a lot less stress,” Sarah Wright said. “So we can focus on actual studies.”

“It was a weight lifted off our chest,” Sophia Wright added.

Adams then introduced the alumni speaker, Tia Meredith, a third-year senior at N.C. State University majoring in Food Science and minoring in Agricultural Business Management.

“Looking back on it now, I realize I wouldn’t have made it this far without the valuable skills that I learned as a dual enrollment student at Providence Grove and here at Randolph Community College,” said Meredith, who is part of the University Honors Program, serves on the executive board of three committees within the Food Science Club, and works at the Howling Cow ice cream plant. “My time here strengthened my appreciation for involvement, discipline, and hard work. The classes I took here gave me opportunities to collaborate with my peers and professors and enhance my soft skills. Whether your plans after RCC are to pursue a career or to further your education elsewhere, Randolph Community College does an outstanding job of preparing you to achieve these goals. You should not only be proud of how far you’ve have come and the joy and honor of being inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, but you should also be excited about the great opportunities that lie ahead.”

Escobar performed “Child’s Heart” by Raúl di Blasio before former RCC President Dr. Robert S. Shackleford Jr. gave the keynote speech. He focused on two words — you can, telling the inspirational stories of Olympian Wilma Rudolph and basketball great Pete Maravich.

“There are people at Randolph Community College who came here as students,” Shackleford said. “They’ve gone on to become business owners, photographers, designers. They’ve gone on to become sheriffs, politicians, dentists, nurses. The people here have gone on to great levels of success. What sets them apart is they sat in classes at RCC with other students who said, ‘I don’t think I can,’ and they said, ‘I can.’ ”

The inductees then signed the Chapter Membership Roster and received their certificates and a white carnation, and Rohrbaugh closed the ceremony.

Established by junior college presidents and students in Missouri in 1918, PTK is the only international honor society serving two-year institutions. It recognizes the academic achievement and integrity of students enrolled in curriculum programs. The organization is based on four hallmarks, leadership, fellowship, scholarship, and service. Students invited to join PTK must have completed 12 credit hours and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

Beta Theta Rho, RCC’s Chapter, was chartered Nov. 1, 1999, and has maintained a Five Star status for 21 consecutive years. Five Star status is the highest level that chapters can receive and recognizes chapters that have completed every requirement set by PTK and for chapters that go above and beyond to make sure their projects and service to the college and community are the best they can be. In addition to Adams, RCC chapter advisors are Ellen Adams (Mathematics Instructor), Alma Nall (Spanish Instructor), and Dolores Vargas Benavides (Spanish Instructor).

Martin, who passed away in February 2020, taught Business Administration, and served as Department Head of Business Administration at RCC, from 2001 until his retirement in 2017. He was one of the advisors for RCC’s chapter from 2002 until his retirement. Martin and former Sociology Instructor and PTK Advisor Carol Savchack proposed a PTK Scholarship in 2007 through the RCC Foundation, on which Martin later served as a Board member as Faculty Representative for more than 10 years. The goal was to have the scholarship reach an endowment of $10,000, and, through annual campaigns, it was met in 2016. When Martin retired, the scholarship was named after him at the 2017 spring induction ceremony. The scholarship has been presented annually to PTK members who are full-time students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above.

Randolph Community College (RCC), under the leadership of President/CEO Dr. Shah Ardalan, is committed to providing relevant career training and educational opportunities. Affordable degrees and short-term certificate programs start throughout the year, both in person and online. For more information, call 336-633-0200 or visit www.randolph.edu and expect to engage with the most competent and compassionate team of faculty and staff.