Hartford, Connecticut, May 30, 2018—The Phi Beta Kappa Initiation Luncheon and Ceremony took place at Trinity College on May 19, 2018. The 55 students elected from the Class of 2018 were among those who achieved the highest general scholastic standing.

The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States. Founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776, the society quickly established and granted a charter to chapters at Harvard and Yale. The Yale chapter established and granted a charter to Trinity in 1844, making Trinity’s chapter—Beta of Connecticut—the eighth oldest in the country. For more than two centuries, Phi Beta Kappa has admitted a select number of graduating seniors from its member chapters. Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is a mark of academic achievement and intellectual distinction recognized throughout the country.

The new members were welcomed and initiated by the Phi Beta Kappa, Beta of Connecticut officers: Charles A. Dana Research Associate Professor of Language and Culture Studies Sara Kippur, president; Associate Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field Coach John Michael Mason, vice president; Assistant Professor of Chemistry Cheyenne Brindle, secretary; and Director of Community Service and Civic Engagement Joe Barber, treasurer. An oration was offered by Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Language and Culture Studies Anne Lambright.

Phi Beta Kappa inductees
Photo by Nick Caito

The following members of the Class of 2018 were elected to Phi Beta Kappa:

​Amro M.S. Arqoub
Mariam Avagyan
Jane Bisson
Christy Carmen Chan
Henry Chavez
Kun Chen
Yingfang (Lydia) Chen
Sarah Elizabeth Connors
Prawesh Dahal
Briana Rene Daley
Bailey Elizabeth D’Antonio
Kate L. Dietrich-Manion
Ngoc Hong Do
Haley Jean Dougherty
Eavan Frances Flanagan
Dana Marie Gionfriddo
Thomas Martin Gitchell
Graham E. Goodwin
Paul Roshan Handali
Lydia Grace Herndon
Ebenezer Hormenou
Caroline Marie Howell
Madison Blake Hummer
Ilya Ilyankou
Dylan Connor Ingram
Alexander Stephen Johnson
Louisa Luther Kammerer
Lilla Eva Kis
MacKenzie Shaw Levy
Noor Malik
Renae Marie Marquis
Meghan Makai Marsh
Jennifer Taylor Martin
Kira Mason
Sarah Arousiag Messenger
Isabelle Grace Moore
Akrit Mudvari
Thuy Thu Nguyen
Molly Elizabeth Nichols
My Tra Phung
Julia Christine Pitino
Sophie Aline Prince
Pearson Kenneth Probst
Hannah Rose Reichert
Deven James DeCapua Roberts
Richard Samuelson
Mathilde Caroline Chloe Sauquet
Soe Han Tha
Rachel Sarah Therrien
Emily Sandra Turner
Jacob Ezra Vargas
Shufan Wang
Dana Anderson Wensberg
Lauren Belle Wiener
Joo Won Fabiola Yun​

View a slideshow of images from the ceremony on Flickr.