Five Florida State University students in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society have been recognized with national awards from the organization. 

Interdisciplinary social sciences student Eddie Fordham, studio art student Joanna Godfrey, and American politics and policy student Lauryn Klostreich were honored with Phi Kappa Phi Pioneer Awards. 

Nationally, 50 students earn $1,000 each through the Pioneer Award for demonstrating success in research, leadership skills and community engagement. FSU tied this year for first place with Fordham University for the most Pioneer Award winners to come from one university. 

“I don’t think it was one specific service that led to this recognition, but a culmination of everything I’ve pushed myself to do,” Klostreich said. “The Pioneer Award feels like recognition for how far I’ve come.” 

Biology student Connor Krassel and doctoral candidate in civil engineering Shrikant Fulari both won Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Awards, which recognize 155 students nationally with $1,000 each to help fund post-baccalaureate professional development. 

Krassel said he will use the award to help cover medical school, and Fulari said he will use the award to attend the International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems in Minneapolis. 

“Being selected for the Love of Learning Award is a significant honor that validates my dedication to academic excellence, innovative research and service to the professional community,” Fulari said. 

Krassel worked with fellow student Hayley Schermer to co-found the New Horizons Network, a free professional workshop nonprofit for the local jobless community in Tallahassee. They help community members create resumes, apply for jobs and prepare for interviews.  

Phi Kappa Phi membership is by invitation only to the top 7.5% of juniors, top 10% of seniors and top 10% of graduate/professional students within their respective academic programs. There are 300 chapters across the country with about 100,000 active members. This year marks the 100th year of FSU’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter. 

Recent FSU graduate Shaheed Perez was awarded $15,000 for the 2025 Marcus L. Urann Fellowship by the national Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society to help fund his Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the University of California, Irvine.

“Membership in Phi Kappa Phi is more than a line on a resume. It is an opportunity to engage with fellow scholars at FSU and beyond,” said Allison Peters, chapter president and assistant dean for retention and engagement in the Division of Undergraduate Studies. “We encourage members to join us at chapter events and to seek awards that further their future professional and academic goals.” 

To learn more about Phi Kappa Phi at FSU, visit undergrad.fsu.edu. For more about Phi Kappa Phi award opportunities, visit phikappaphi.org/grants-awards. 

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The oldest academic honor society at Florida State University celebrated the chapter’s 100-year anniversary during its annual initiation ceremony.

The FSU chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society recognized the century-marking milestone during its yearly initiation ceremony on April 9 at the Grand Ballroom in the FSU Alumni Center.

“Phi Kappa Phi’s motto — ‘Let the love of learning rule humanity’— beautifully captures the spirit of this occasion and the values that unite us tonight,” FSU Provost Jim Clark said at the event. “­­It is that love of learning that has guided our initiates through challenges, fueled their accomplishments, and brought you here today.”

In 1925, Phi Kappa Phi was the first honor society established at FSU – known then as the Florida State College for Women – and the first chapter of that honor society in the state of Florida.

The honor society includes students from all academic disciplines, at all FSU campuses and at any level from undergraduate to doctoral studies. Founded at the University of Maine in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi initiates around 20,000 members a year on more than 300 campuses across the U.S. and its territories.

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