By Iris Ybarra
Pulse Staff Reporter
Long sleepless nights and Starbucks coffee is the average life of a college student. Students face constant homework and studying for exams to stay at the highest level in their classes.
Some students strive for success every day, both inside and outside of class. Their hard work does not go unnoticed. It is a struggle, but they continue to push through with determination.
Sophomore Education Major Priscilla Arellano has been inducted in the Honors Recognition program for maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Like many students, she experienced hardships, like sleepless nights and drinking three cups of coffee just to get through the day. The environment between high school and college is very different, she said.
“In high school, I didn’t care. Then when I came into college, I realized this is the real deal,” said Arellano.
Being recognized as an honors student and becoming a member of Phi Theta Kappa makes Arellano happy. She also found out about a different program, the National Student Leadership Society, through an invitation she received in her student email. If she maintains the required GPA and completes the required hours, Arellano expects to become an official member in April 2018.
“I believe it’s 800 students in the state of Texas who are chosen, and I’m one of them!” said Arellano.
Most students receive a notification in their student email regarding an invitation to become a member of Phi Theta Kappa. If this is not the case, go speak to the adviser of Phi Theta Kappa, Sylvia de Hoyos, about getting in. She can be contacted through her email, sdehoyos9@alamo.edu, and her office number is 210-486-3089. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA and must have twelve college credit hours to be considered.
A student who graduated from PAC last semester, Melanie Salazar, signed up for Phi Theta Kappa during Club Rush at the beginning of Fall 2016 Semester.
Maintaining a 4.0 GPA, Salazar continued to strive to be a member of the Phi Theta Kappa organization and a member of the Honors Program.
“I knew I was eligible for the Honors Program, but I did not receive an email to confirm it. I was so confused, so I went to the Performing Arts Center and spoke with the president of the club in person,” said Salazar.
Salazar said that Phi Theta Kappa was mentioned to her through word of mouth rather than being contacted.
Salazar became a member of the club in her last semester at Palo Alto College. She wishes she had spent more time in the organization. The time she was in it was time well spent, she believes.
Sylvia De Hoyos, adviser for Phi Theta Kappa, said that being a part of the organization is a life membership. Students learn how to work alongside each other to grow and develop. De Hoyos enjoys seeing students of all majors working together in campus activities and research projects. They receive many scholarships for being in the organization.
“They have the opportunity to work alongside each other. You have Science majors, Business majors, Art majors who develop this camaraderie. They’re still connected. That’s tremendous.
The biggest gift to De Hoyos are the students who come back to visit. She sees that they’ve taken the skills they learned and applied them to their lives. The students consider each other family and remain in contact even after graduating from PAC.
All the sleepless nights and the hours of studying pays off. People recognize the hard work that is required, and recognition is given. Being a college student demands a lot of work, but for these PAC students, being an honor student is very rewarding.
PAC Student Media 