Muhlenberg Inducts 53 Students into First Generation Honor Society
Tri-Alpha honors outstanding students who are the first in their families to attend college.By: Kristine Yahna Todaro Wednesday, May 20, 2020 10:16 AM
You are a torchbearer and catalyst. With no precedent set before you, against various odds, you worked hard and blazed a new trail, setting yourself up for many future triumphs. We, the Muhlenberg community, are proud of you!
So began the second annual induction announcement welcoming 53 Muhlenberg students to the 2020 Tri-Alpha Honor Society for Outstanding First-Generation Students.
To be eligible for the Tri-Alpha Honor Society, students must have completed at least three full-time terms, earned an overall GPA of 3.2 and come from a family where neither parent nor any legal guardians earned a bachelor’s degree.
The coronavirus pandemic meant this year’s planned induction ceremony had to be forfeited. But a celebratory announcement of the new members of Muhlenberg’s Tri-Alpha chapter included well wishes from co-directors Dawn Lonsinger, assistant professor of English, and Greg Scully, associate dean of the School of Continuing Education, and the First Generation Advocacy and Support Group. Co-president Kate Ekanem '21 and Representative Michael Rainone '20 shared videos of the speeches they would have presented at this year's induction ceremony.
Alpha Alpha Alpha was founded in 2018 at Moravian College, an initiative of Associate Provost Carol Traupman-Carr. The following year, Muhlenberg began a chapter, becoming the Delta, or fourth, chapter of Tri-Alpha in the country, and inducting the College’s inaugural members on April 26, 2019. (See the full list of 2019 inductees below.)
Congratulations to the Members of the 2020 Tri-Alpha Honor Society
Class of 2020
Michaela Boyer
Samantha Broughton
Sydney Crispano
Christopher Dasaro
Akya Evans
Taylor Garrison
Paul Giandinoto
Melissa Gralitzer
Jiahui Huang
Michael Kober
Dat Le
Delsin Mayne
Nicole Miller
Alessandra Missano
Gianna Missano
Yanni Mitropoulos
Joseph O’Hagan
Chrystina Obleschuk
Jennifer Sanchez
Ziera Soda
Ryan Stewart
Jessica Szasz
Samantha Taylor
Maxine Wisler
Class of 2021
Charlie Alguera
Gnim Bazim
Sophia Chong
Mark Collazo
Amber Dietrich
Deja Frazier
Stephanie Haik
Jarrid Levy
Christina Mitry
Maya Pandey
Gregory Shanahan
Skylyn Torres
Eunice Umubyeyi
Class of 2022
Rasha Abdouche
Nancy Agosto
Robin Chodak
Julia Feenstra
Jarred Ford
Jacob Frank
Cindy Funes
Nicole Gardner
Maleah Hess
Angeles Morales
Joseph Neeh
Nicholas Nuccio
Jalil Robinson
Thomas Rodgers
Sophie Sarnitsky
Tajarie Wright
2019-2020 Tri-Alpha Officers
Co-presidents: Kate Ekanem and Dario Lewczyk
Vice President: Gianfranco Tiseo
Secretary: Alexandria Bak
Representatives: Alison Bashford, Vivian Ha, Emily Layden, Michael Rainone
In addition, congratulations to the inaugural members of Muhlenberg College's Tri-Alpha Honor Society who were inducted in April 2019
Class of 2019
Lior Shenhav Algrably
Angelica Bakhos
Madison Baranoski
Michael Patrick Bessette
Samantha Best
Breanna Booth
Samantha Brown
Amir Carter
Ayanna Costley
Jennifer Coté
Emily Davis
Sara Dilly
Glenna Jones
Morgan Kelly
Melissa Klein
Diana Leguizamon
Marissa Mattia
Madison McCandless
Julian Mone
Trott Montina
Madison Mummey
Kristina Qualben
Nicholas Reit
Andrew Rice
Brittany Shimanski
Cynthia Silva
Haley Szenczi
Jennifer Vu
Class of 2020
Victoria Basciano
Alison Bashford
Nicole Bergamo
Bridget Cantor
Anthony DiPalma
Vivian Ha
Ashley Harpster
Emily Layden
Dario Lewczyk
Morgan Litzenberger
Ruby Ortiz
Michael Rainone
Michelle Sanchez
Class of 2021
Philippa Edstrand-Hearn
Kate Ekanem
Jonathan Henry
Yanet Ocampo-Ocampo
Marwan Rajha
MacKenzie Richards
Maria Guadalupe Vasquez
Class of 2022
Edwin Alvarez
Alexandria Bak
Joshua Brog
Emily Burns
AnnieRose DiMurro
Emily Falkenstein
Mira-Belle Haddad
Sofia Herrera
Katelyn Hughes
Emily Kirchner
Viet Le
Audrey Morton
Laurie O’Neill
Veronica Pasko
Andréa Kayla Rodriguez
Kevan Shah
Giselle Soto Morales
Gianfranco Tiseo
Katrina Ussia
About the Muhlenberg College School of Continuing Studies
For more than 100 years, Muhlenberg College’s School of Continuing Studies has provided lifelong learners the opportunity to continue and enhance their education in ways that recognize their experience, maturity, motivation, life circumstances and capacity for independent scholarship. Through a rich variety of certificates and baccalaureate degrees, the School of Continuing Studies aligns a rigorous, high-quality and student-centric curriculum with the needs and trends of our regional economy.
About Muhlenberg College
Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. With an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences; selected preprofessional programs, including accounting, business, education and public health; and progressive workforce-focused post-baccalaureate certificates and master’s degrees. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City, Muhlenberg is a member of the Centennial Conference, competing in 23 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
