GCC Students Honored at USA Today Phi Theta Kappa All-NY Academic Awards Ceremony in Albany

Batavia, NY (04/30/2018) — Two Genesee Community College students were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society this semester at a special academic awards ceremony in the New York State Museum in Albany in March. Phi Theta Kappa is a prestigious international honor society for students in two-year colleges. The society promotes academic excellence and provides leadership opportunities, service projects and fellowship amongst members.

GCC's PTK chapter, Alpha lota Upsilon was founded in 1985 by Dr. Bernie Hoerbert, a retired professor of Mathematics. To be eligible for induction into Alpha lota Upsilon, students must complete at least 12 credit hours, earn a 3.6 grade point average (GPA) to be inducted and maintain a 3.3 GPA to remain a member. To date, the Alpha Iota Upsilon PTK chapter has over 3,000 members.

At the ceremony, GCC sophomore Yuki Lai of Brockport, NY was inducted based on her 3.88 GPA in GCC's Associate in Applied Science in Digital Art program. She has been involved with numerous student clubs including Applecore, the International Student Organization and Foodlink. Her poster design was selected by GCC's Fashion program students to promote "Ascendant," the 37th annual Fashion Show occurring this past Saturday. A native of Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Lai came to GCC on the recommendation of her uncle, GCC alumni Kevin (Kah) Chan, who found GCC to be the perfect place to absorb American culture and explore career aspirations. Lai will graduate from GCC in May and will be transferring to RIT this fall to pursue a four-year degree in in graphic design.

In addition, GCC sophomore Joana Reiko Sato of Batavia, NY was inducted based on her 3.97 GPA at GCC. Since she was a child growing up in Japan, Sato dreamed of earning a college degree in the United States. After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan Koge High school in 2015, she was employed as indoor rock climbing instructor for about a year and then enrolled at GCC. As an international student, Sato was honored to share her story at last year's "East Meets West" Multicultural Communications Club special event. She also participated in the Outdoor Adventure Club and was a resident assistant at College Village. Sato is currently pursuing a Liberal Arts and Science: General Studies Associate Degree and intends to transfer to Colorado State University with a major in Biochemistry. Sato plans to become a veterinary doctor.

For more information, contact Marketing Communications Associate Director Donna Rae Sutherland at (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616, or via email: dsutherland@genesee.edu.

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Editor's Note:

A photo of Joana Reiko Sato (left) and Yuki Lai (right) with their PTK Induction medals is available here: http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/Sato_Lai_GCCPTK_Inductees2018.jpg

A photo of Joana Reiko Sato (left), Dr. Virginia Taylor, vice president of GCC Student Enrollment and Yuki Lai (right) is available here:

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/Sato_Taylor_Lai.jpg