Updated May 4, 2023
Florida State University’s Alpha of Florida Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa society welcomed 147 new members during an induction ceremony April 27 at Miller Hall.
Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society and membership is a rare honor. Only 10 percent of the country’s colleges and universities have a chapter of the honor society, and those chapters invite only 10 percent of its arts and sciences graduates to join.
“This is an amazing opportunity to be able to recognize some of Florida State University’s most high-achieving students,” said Annelise Leysieffer, Ph.D., president of the Alpha of Florida Chapter. “Through initiation, students promise to be true and faithful to the Society and to help elect future members who demonstrate high intellectual achievement and moral character.”
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark, the ceremony’s featured speaker, lauded inductees for their achievement.
“To be selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa is an extraordinary accomplishment,” Clark said. “Your invitation to what is widely considered the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society is hard earned and you should be very proud of yourself.”
Since its founding 247 years ago, Phi Beta Kappa members have embraced the pursuit of a liberal education and intellectual fellowship. They have included 17 presidents, 42 Supreme Court Justices and more than 150 Nobel Laureates — as well as artists, athletes, diplomats, scientists, innovators, and business leaders.
In 1926, 10 faculty members from the Florida State College for Women, FSU’s predecessor institution, began a campaign to establish a chapter and submitted extensive academic documentation to the national office. The charter was granted in 1934 as the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in Florida.
“Florida State University was built on a strong liberal arts tradition that seeks to instill a love of learning,” Clark said. “That’s why it’s so appropriate that we are home to Florida’s very first chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.”
FSU’s chapter is one of only a handful among the nation’s 290 chapters that also have student involvement.
Student President Andrea Lopez and the Student Treasurer Alissa Kalyan also presented the Phi Beta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award to a pair of FSU faculty — J. Perry Howell, senior lecturer in the English Department, and Brittany Kraft, teaching faculty in the Department of Biological Science.
Ayush Singh, a biological science major, received the Marion Jewell Hay Award as one of the society’s top graduating seniors.
The 2023 inductees are:
| Aidan Durity, Actuarial Science | Justin Gonzalez, Meteorology |
| Aidan MacKinlay, History | Karole Vann, Editing, Writing & Media |
| Alexander Stewart, Political Science | Katelyn Wix, Chemistry |
| Alexia Poposki, Literature, Media and Culture | Katharine Thomas, Environmental Sci/Policy |
| Allie Beaudrot, Creative Writing | Katherine Czahor, Psychology |
| Allison Keeling, Biological Science | Katherine Kelsey, Creative Writing |
| Alyson Martinez, Psychology | Katherine Lowry, Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Amelia Woolley-Larrea, Editing, Writing & Media | Katherine Lowry, Media and Communication Studies |
| Anna Csikai, Psychology | Katherine Shannon, Political Science |
| Ashton Jeffers, Literature, Media and Culture | Keilly Miranda Torres, Political Science |
| Aurora Karasulu, French and Spanish | Kelsey Mira, Biochemistry |
| Benjamin Lages, Literature, Media and Culture | Kennady Lang, Biological Science |
| Britney Berry, Linguistics and Languages | Kennedy Cross, International Affairs |
| Brittney Soukup, Classical Archaeology | Kristie Thompson, Computer Science |
| Carlos Campos, History | Kylie Wasisco, Biochemistry |
| Carly Sweeney, Computer Science | Lily Childers, History |
| Catherine Jackson, Cell and Molecular Neuroscience | Lily Gullett, Biological Science |
| Cathryn Ramon, Biological Science | Lindsay Johnson, Theatre |
| Chad Yagey, Psychology | Lucy Morfit, Classical Civilizations |
| Cheyenne Lindsey, Classical Civilizations | Madelyn Davis, Psychology |
| Christina Cargill, Psychology | Madelyn Lester, Psychology |
| Christopher Franceschini, Biological Science | Makayla Sydejko, Psychology |
| Christopher SanGiovanni, Computer Science | Mallory Malman, History |
| Cole Najjar, Psychology | Mallory McLean, Biomathematics |
| Colette Santoro, Psychology | Maria Diyaljee, Editing, Writing & Media |
| Daniel Zuniga Gamboa, Cell and Molecular Neuroscience | Maria Guidubaldi, Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Darline Philius, Media and Communication Studies | Martha Zamora Micciche, Biological Science |
| Davis Cruce, Psychology | Mary Fullenkamp, Editing, Writing & Media |
| Drew Poisson, Media and Communication Studies | Matthew Ortiz, Political Science |
| Dylan Thibodeau, Psychology | Megan Wang, Biological Science |
| Elise Marshall, Psychology | Mia Gomez, Psychology |
| Elizabeth Geiger, Psychology | Michael Agrama, History |
| Elizabeth Sauer, Art History | Mitchell Voelker, Meteorology |
| Elliot Weber, Editing, Writing & Media | Molly Turner, Behavior Neuroscience |
| Emily Zager, Chemistry | Monica Ford, International Affairs |
| Emma Baker, Psychology | Morgan Gravlin, Psychology |
| Emma Gannon, Creative Writing | Moriah House, Anthropology |
| Erin Scott, Environmental Science | Natalie Harris, Psychology |
| Ethan Dubroff, History | Nicole Cutlip, Theatre |
| Ethan Patel, Biological Science | Noah Dubroff, History |
| Ethan Todd, Physics | Oliver Brooks, Creative Writing |
| Eva Sirlin, Psychology | Olivia Mei, Computer Science |
| Evan O’Regan, Meteorology | Parker Folino, Media and Communication Studies |
| Evangelina Harbord, Psychology | Payton Spran, Biological Science |
| Gabriela Solski, Biological Science | Pearl Ray, Psychology |
| Gabriella Fiore, Psychology | Rachel Ramsey, History |
| Gabriella Hart, Biological Science | Rachelle Yombo, Political Science |
| Gabrielle Deutsch, Psychology | Randall Gaynor, Meteorology |
| Halle Gold, Psychology | Raquel Pauly, Meteorology |
| Hannah Gundelfinger, Biological Science | Regan Johnson, Psychology |
| Hannah Stark, International Affairs | Renée Rodriguez, Psychology |
| Harrison Betz, International Affairs | Riley Smith, Biochemistry |
| Harrison Schwartz, Political Science | Rose Schuhmann, Psychology |
| Hayden Patrick, Psychology | Sabrina Ollerman, Theatre |
| Heather Touby, Literature, Media and Culture | Samuel Willens, Philosophy |
| Henghua Xing, Statistics | Samuel Youngston, International Affairs |
| Holly Jordan, Computer Science | Sarah Eschrich, Physics & Astrophysics |
| Holly Vaughn, Interdisciplinary Social Science | Savannah Johnson, Creative Writing |
| Holly Zeyl, Physics & Astrophysics | Sean Cliff, International Affairs |
| Isabel Cottrill, Editing, Writing & Media | Sean Hartman, Mathematics |
| Isabella Gomez, Psychology | Shaheed Perez, Physics & Astrophysics |
| Jack Folwell, Physics | Shivansh Singh, Cell and Molecular Neuroscience |
| Jackson Cheplick, Classical Civilizations | Sofia Roman, Biological Science |
| Jacob Theobald, Psychology | Sofiya Knox, Computer Science |
| Jaden Wise, Biological Science | Sonia Theodorof, Psychology |
| Jess Moorefield, Computer Science | Sophia Ward, Psychology |
| Jessica Moser, Behavioral Neuroscience | Steven Decesare, Biological Science |
| Jessica Stefanes Santamaria, Biological Science | Sydney Cunningham, Biochemistry |
| Jonathan Babich, History | Tess O’Donnell, History |
| Jordan Hand, Sociology | Tyler Decker, Mathematics/FSU-Teach |
| Josephine Watson, Biological Science | Vincent Ramil, Political Science |
| Judah Bachmann, General Linguistics | William Zak, Psychology |
| Julia Correll, Cell and Molecular Neuroscience | Zanti Rains, Environmental Science |
| Julia Tamborello, Political Science |
Summer and fall 2022 initiates were also recognized at the ceremony.
| Alexandra Music, Applied Computational Mathematics | Kathryn Merritt, Computational Biology Science |
| Amelia Sieg, Computer Science | Kathryn Woodford, Biological Science |
| Ana Doverspike, Psychology | Kelly Kunkle, Psychology |
| Belle Krubitski, Cell and Molecular Neuroscience | Laura Parces, Greek & Latin |
| Bethany Jones, International Affairs | Liam Woolard, International Affairs |
| Bria Weisblat, Computer Science | Mia Bonet, Art History |
| Carly Lewis, Biological Science | Mia Jackson, Editing, Writing & Media |
| Elizabeth Frier, History | Mia Mantel, Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Elysia Moak, Behavioral Neuroscience | Nicholas Coamey, Psychology |
| Emma Curley, Biological Science | Peyton Harring, Psychology |
| Haylee Darling, Behavioral Neuroscience | Samuel Wenzel, Biochemistry |
| Helen Chen, Biological Science | Spencer Hodge, Biological Science |
| Kamryn Reynolds, Psychology | Van Dekort, Psychology |
| Katherine Gaukhman, Environmental Science |