Phi Theta Kappa

Summer Academies

NERA, the New England Region Alumni Association, is very pleased to be offering its first-ever Honors in Action Chapter Officer Academy and the 2009 New England Region Advisor Education Conference! The academy and conference will be held simultaneously on Saturday, July 18 at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts, hosted by the Alpha Kappa Upsilon chapter. The cost for all attendees is $10, which includes a catered lunch. To register, visit the NERA Summer Academies website.

Attendance at both of these academies will help chapter leaders get started on the right foot as they begin the 2009 - 2010 year and work towards their goals for excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Fellowship. Although the speakers have not yet been finalized, the general schedules for both the Honors In Action Chapter Officer Academy and the Advisor Education Conference are available.

We hope to see you in Brockton this July! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact NERA Southern Vice President Ashley Odell.

Final 2009 - 2010 Regional Officer Elected

Andy Clicquot, a member of the Alpha Kappa Upsilon chapter at Massasoit Community College, has been elected to the vacant second officer-at-large position for the New England Region.

A Criminal Justice major, Andy is a New York native but was raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He returned to the United States in summer 2007 for college and was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa in October 2008. Andy says that Phi Theta Kappa “is a united family devoted to supporting its members and its communities” and that he will work as officer-at-large “to bring the chapters together, along with the rest of the team.”

The regional constitution that was approved by chapters last year calls for a full regional election at the Regional Convention held every March. Any remaining positions after that election are filled through a special election at the International Convention in April. If any vacancies remain after that election, as one did this year, the Regional Advisory Board elects the remaining officers.

Alpha Delta Omicron Members Selected As Commencement Speakers

When the distinguished Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., a professor at Harvard Law School and a longtime senior adviser to President Barack Obama, takes to the stage at Middlesex (Mass.) Community College’s commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 21, he will be sharing the stage with two members of the Alpha Delta Omicron chapter who have also been invited to address the graduates.

Michelle Lehouillier, a resident of Pepperell, Massachusetts, is graduating with a 3.8 GPA as a Liberal Arts & Sciences major in MCC’s honors program. Michelle is very active on her campus, including serving as a member of the Student STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Committee and the Student Success program, amongst other activities. She was also named to the 2009 All-Massachusetts Academic First Team. Before she began her studies at MCC, Michelle served her community by working as a nurse for many years. She will be transferring to Wellesley College in the fall as a Davis Scholar in the college’s non-traditional students program, and plans to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Ecological Restoration and Environmental Education.

Thang Thai, a resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, is graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA in Business Administration. After escaping from Vietnam as a child, Thai came to the United States and eventually enrolled at Middlesex, where he served as a student trustee and president of the Middlesex Activities Crew and also participated in the college’s China Fellowship Program. This year, he was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities and received the James E. Houlihan Jr. Award for Student of the Year, MCC’s highest student honor. He is currently deciding between offers of admission to several prestigious institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University. After he completes his studies, Thang plans to eventually return to Vietnam to pursue business opportunities.

We congratulate Michelle and Thang on all of their accomplishments and selection as student speakers, and we wish them the best in their future studies!