99 inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, 7 receive Wolfe Awards

Ninety-nine highly accomplished juniors and seniors were inducted into Ohio University's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa this spring, and seven students shared the Thomas A. Wolfe Award, a cash prize for highest GPA among the 2021 inductees.

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most important academic honor society in the United States. Founded in 1776, the society recognizes undergraduates who have demonstrated exemplary academic achievement in the liberal arts and sciences. Only 10% of U.S. colleges and universities have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. These chapters select the top 10% of their arts and sciences graduates to join, making PBK membership one of the most prestigious honors a student can receive. The Lambda of Ohio Chapter was chartered in 1928.

Inductees were juniors and seniors from four OHIO colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Fine Arts, College of Health Sciences and Professions, and Honors Tutorial College, as well as the Center for International Studies. They join the ranks of esteemed Phi Beta Kappa members, which include 17 U.S. presidents, 42 U.S Supreme Court justices, and over 150 Nobel laureates.

Dr. Paul Milazzo, associate professor of history and PBK Lambda of Ohio Chapter president, noted that this year’s 84% acceptance rate was the chapter's all-time best.

“PBK is indebted to Jenny Klein, assistant dean for success and persistence, for her tireless and creative outreach efforts on the organization’s behalf," Milazzo said. "I also want to recognize President Emeritus M. Duane Nellis, who set the standard for paying student PBK initiation fees out of funds from his office beginning in 2018. His generosity has helped to ensure that all those who merit Phi Beta Kappa membership can claim it without financial hardship and underscores Ohio University’s commitment to academic excellence."

2021 Phi Beta Kappa Initiates

• Leah Allan of Athens, Ohio
• Chloë Zehra Backderf of Shaker Heights, Ohio
• Korri Basinger of Athens, Ohio
• Connor Douglas Beeman of Wadsworth, Ohio
• Elizabeth A. Bennett of Lowell, Mass.
• Austin G. Bissell of Mentor, Ohio
• Kaitlyn Booher of Plainfield, Ind.
• Andrew John Bovenzi of North Ridgeville, Ohio
• Justin Boyle of Trenton, Ohio
• Anna Brant of Strongsville, Ohio
• Joseph Michael Brucker of Athens, Ohio
• Clay Eric Burger of Nevada, Ohio
• Katy Campbell of Athens, Ohio
• Colton Ryan Campbell of Gallipolis, Ohio
• Arielle Pennington Caradonna of Powell, Ohio 
• Jacob Carlson of Elyria, Ohio
• Madeleine Case of Columbus, Ohio
• Kennedi Elizabeth Christie of Lancaster, Ohio
• Cassie Coleman of Dayton, Ohio
• Townsend Colley of Decatur, Tenn.
• Robyn Combs of Cincinnati, Ohio
• Grace Counts of Clayton, Ohio
• Terra Davison Creahan of Morehead, Ky.
• Ben Loring Dailey of Vincent, Ohio
• Iyana Davis of Wickliffe, Ohio
• Elizabeth Davis of Athens, Ohio
• Analee Ximena Davis Herrera of Summerville, S.C.
• David Dennis of Johnstown, Ohio
• Arielle Dickerman of Granville, Ohio
• Sarah Elizabeth Dillinger of Athens, Ohio
• Sara Dowler of Columbus, Ohio
• Daniel Ryan Dunfee of Racine, Ohio 
• Alyssa Espinoza of Scranton, Pa.
• Zoe Felber of Twinsburg, Ohio
• Justin Andrew Fink of Chillicothe, Ohio
• Tyler Lee Fyffe of Waverly, Ohio
• Andrea Gapsch of Columbus, Ohio
• Ellen M. Gill-Franks of Fleming, Ohio
• Daniela Adriana Grijalva of Athens, Ohio
• Griffin M. Grosh of Columbus, Ohio
• Madeleine Marie Hale of Dayton, Ohio
• Ivy Hammond of Williamsport, Ohio
• Haley Hautzinger of Athens, Ohio
• Taylor Heddleson of Circleville, Ohio
• Adam Hering of Athens, Ohio
• Natalie Anne Hosmer of Galesburg, Mich.
• Megan Anne Kennedy of Brunswick, Ohio
• Kamryn Kennison of McConnelsville, Ohio
• Emilee M. Kerr of Perrysburg, Ohio
• Adam Killmeyer of Medina, Ohio
• Grant Knepper of Canton, Ohio
• Ariana Farren Gertrude Kocab of Athens, Ohio
• Madelyn Rose Lail of Fairfield Township, Ohio
• Caroline Easterday Liles of Athens, Ohio
• Michaela Maloney of Athens, Ohio
• Asya Martin of Middlefield, Ohio
• Katherine Tate Martindale of Athens, Ohio
• Olivia Matulich of Mount Vernon, Ohio
• Meah McCallister of Mogadore, Ohio
• Madison Shay McFadden of Norwalk, Ohio
• Noah Michael McGeorge of Dayton, Ohio
• Kaitlyn McKenzie of Arundel, Maine
• Katelyn Mitchem of Rio Grande, Ohio
• Daniel P. Monks of Athens, Ohio
• Molly Alyssa Moore of Athens, Ohio
• Alexandra Moser of Bluffton, Ohio
• Will Mullen of Marietta, Ohio
• Leah K. Myerholtz of Columbus Grove, Ohio
• Ashton Leigh Nichols of Mason, Ohio
• Rachael Nicole Pack of Groveport, Ohio
• Kirsten Pack of Hilliard, Ohio
• Chloe Parsons of Jackson, Ohio
• Zachary Perie of Greenfield, Ohio
• James Petko of Nelsonville, Ohio
• Ellery Pollard of Athens, Ohio
• Emma Rice of Berkeley, Calif.
• Samantha Romeo of Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Ashley Elizabeth Safran of Union, Ky.
• Devon Schneider of Columbus, Ohio
• Kimberly Sirb of Amherst, Ohio
• Kaylee Smith of Solon, Ohio
• Casey L. Starcher of Middleburg Heights, Ohio
• Maria Rachael Steinberg of Mason, Ohio
• Andrew L. Stone of Columbus, Ohio
• Elaina Tartal of Columbus, Ohio
• Sophie E. Tate of Miamisburg, Ohio
• Kaitlyn Lorraine Urbaniak of Bellbrook, Ohio
• Angel Vergona of Hamilton, Ohio
• Grace Walters of Dublin, Ohio
• Brittney Ward of Avon, Ohio
• Leah Warren of Cincinnati, Ohio
• Sarah Weekman of Athens, Ohio
• John Jacob Wehrkamp of Troy, Ohio
• McKenzie Wynn Weller of Pataskala, Ohio
• Logan Weyland of Middletown, Ohio
• Stephanie Wilhelm of Grove City, Ohio
• Madelynn Wilson of Delaware, Ohio 
• Alexandra Worrallo of Worcester, United Kingdom
• Emma Zgonc of Powder Springs, Ga. 

Thomas A. Wolfe Awardees

Iyana Davis '21 is a first-generation student from Wickliffe, Ohio, and is double majoring in linguistics and Spanish, with certificates in Italian studies and teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the current president of the Cultural Italian American Organization and a member of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society Sigma Delta Pi. When she graduates, she plans to use her TEFL certificate to teach English abroad and to apply her multilingual skills in working in the field of translation.

Daniel Dunfee '22 is an Eagle Scout from Racine, Ohio. He is majoring in Spanish in the College of Arts and Sciences and geological sciences in the Honors Tutorial College. He received the Damian Nance Distinguished Professor Scholarship and the Travis C. Middleman Scholarship from the Geological Sciences Department. He has been conducting research with Dr. Larry Witmer in the WitmerLab for two years on an honor thesis examining changes in growth in Jurassic dinosaurs.

Ellen Gill-Franks '22 is an undergraduate student studying English pre-law and sociology-criminology with a certificate in law, justice and culture in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is currently serving as a student trustee on Ohio University's Board of Trustees and a Supreme Court of Ohio public information extern. Additionally, she serves as director of Students Defending Students, a pre-law associate at the Center for Law, Justice and Culture, an OHIO Learning Community leader, and a Cutler Scholar. She also dedicates her time as a Summer Law and Trial Institute program assistant and a research assistant for the Ohio Innocence Project and Southeastern Ohio Legal Services. She is preparing to attend law school following graduation.

Andrew Stone '22 grew up in Bexley, Ohio. He is a political science major in the Honors Tutorial College and is also pursuing a certificate in law, justice, and culture. He is a founding member of the Ohio University chapter of BridgeUSA and currently serves as vice president. Next year, he will be completing a thesis on how online political subcultures impact American politics. Following graduation, he plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in academic research.

Angel Vergona '22, originally from Hamilton, Ohio, is majoring in pre-law political science. She has received two political science awards: the Adeline Zoller Memorial Scholarship in 2019 and the Dolores K. Hanna Women in Law Scholarship for 2021. She was also chosen by Dr. Susan Burgess to receive her distinguished professor scholarship in 2020. Vergona is the president and cofounder of the Political Science Major's Association, the vice president of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, and the deputy director of the ACLU-OU. She will be applying to law school in the fall and hopes to have a career in civil rights law and politics, with the goal of being elected to the U.S. Congress.

Noah McGeorge '21 is a first-generation student from Dayton, Ohio, majoring in linguistics with a focus in teaching English as a foreign language. His most rewarding college experiences have come from his work as a tutor for the Ohio Program of Intensive English, Academic Achievement Center, and Academic Global Communication Center. He will be pursuing a master’s in applied linguistics in 2022.

Daniela Grijalva '21 is an Ecuadorian-American who completed her undergraduate career at Ohio University after having studied in Madrid, Spain, for two years. In the College of Arts and Sciences, she earned majors in Latin American studies and political sciences, a minor in anthropology, and a certificate in global leadership. In 2021, she was awarded the Latino Heritage Award by OHIO in recognition of her dedication to both her academic career and her community involvement. During her time at her various institutions, she has participated in and led several projects, programs, and organizations that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in a variety of spaces. Next year, she will be entering the M.A. in Law, Justice and Culture program at OHIO and will work as the graduate assistant at the university’s Global Leadership Center. She also will continue her involvement with the community as secretary of the Ohio University Chapter of the ACLU and as the vice president of ALLIES Student Organization. She hopes to use these experiences to prepare for a future career in law and society while using her leadership skills to increase accessibility and accountability on campus.