Honolulu CC Phi Theta Kappa Chapter receives top honors

Honor Society named Top 100 Chapter at International Convention

Honolulu Community College
Contact:
Billie K T Lueder, (808) 845-9187
Communications & External Affairs, Chancellor's Office
Posted: May 2, 2014

PTK students Jhomar and Lehua with faculty advisor, Lena Low accepting their award.
PTK students Jhomar and Lehua with faculty advisor, Lena Low accepting their award.

(Honolulu) - Last week Thursday, April 24 to Saturday, April 26, Honolulu Community College was represented by three students: Jamie Rodrigues (Chapter President), Lehua Rowland (Vice President of Scholarship), and Jhomar Sarmiento (Pacific Region VP of Fellowship/Regional Representative) at the annual Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society Convention in Orlando, Florida.

At the Hallmark Awards Gala on the final evening of the convention, the Honolulu CC Alpha Kappa Iota Chapter was honored with the highly coveted Distinguished Honors in Action Project Award.  The Honors in Action Award is in recognition of the Chapter's Honors in Action Project "Ho'okuku a me Laulima - Ka Mo'olelo o Haloa: Competitiveness and Cooperation - The Story of Taro” led by project leaders Jamie Rodrigues, Lehua Rowland and Oni Jarrett Kaho‘okele. 

“In line with the 2012-2013 Honors Study Topic, "The Culture of Competition," our Project focused on the how competition and cooperation affect the use of our islands' limited resources to produce kalo,” shares Lena Low, Honolulu’s Phi Theta Kappa faculty advisor.

“The students learned the story of Haloa, the Hawaiian values of ho‘okuku (competitiveness), laulima (cooperation), the issues related to land use, access to water, sustainability of our islands' resources, and the preservation of the cultivation of kalo.”

The Chapter was also named a Top 100 Chapter out of 1,300 chapters across the United States and other countries.  Honolulu CC was the only chapter from the Pacific Region to receive this Top 100 designation

About Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa is recognized as the official honor society for community colleges by the American Association of Community Colleges. The society recognizes and encourages the academic achievement of two-year college students and provides opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship programming.

The Pacific Region of Phi Theta Kappa includes chapters located in Hawaiʻi, American Samoa, Guam, Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.