Class of 2023 Seniors Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
On Friday, May 12, the New York Delta Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society welcomed 55 GS seniors at its annual induction ceremony.
On Friday, May 12, 55 members of the Class of 2023 were inducted into the New York Delta Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society (PBK) in a ceremony held at Faculty House.
Professor Patricia Lindemann of the Department of Psychology, President of the Delta Chapter, began the ceremony by welcoming the PBK candidates, faculty, and distinguished guests, and by touching on the illustrious nature of the society. “In selecting students for induction,” Professor Lindemann noted, “Columbia faculty members scrutinize not only a student’s academic record for breadth of study, the rigorousness of the program, and the level of achievement, but also weigh evidence of a student’s integrity and character. GS elects no more than 10% of its graduating class each year for induction into Phi Beta Kappa.”
Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch ‘90GS then administered the ceremonial ‘Phi Beta Kappa Promise.’ Dean Rosen-Metsch also presented the Phi Beta Kappa award, given each year to a single inductee who exemplifies the ideals of PBK through their exceptional academic achievement and integrity, to Hunter Rhoades ‘23GS.
“If I could offer one wish to you, some of our most accomplished graduates of the Class of 2023, it is the wish that the love of learning and generosity of spirit you have nurtured here at Columbia will forever guide your lives.”
Dean of Academic Affairs Caroline Marvin spoke in more detail about the 2023 inductees remarkable accomplishments, noting the breadth of professional expertise, academic specialities, and community interests represented. Inductees were part of International Dual Degree Programs, served in the military, and had careers in the arts, education, sports, and more. At Columbia, they wrote for campus publications, collaborated with faculty on research, served as peer tutors and mentors, and dedicated time to local soup kitchens and food pantries.
PBK inductees must be individually nominated by a faculty member, and Dean Marvin said that in these nominations faculty praised students’ curiosity, ambition, creativity, and teamwork. “You were described as not just excellent students but also good citizens, eager and generous collaborators, with a tremendous strength of character and integrity, who had earned the trust and respect of your peers,” shared Dean Marvin. “As one faculty member said, you will be a force for good wherever your path takes you.”
Following Dean Marvin’s remarks, inductees were formally welcomed into the society. As Dean Marvin put it, “If I could offer one wish to you, some of our most accomplished graduates of the Class of 2023, it is the wish that the love of learning and generosity of spirit you have nurtured here at Columbia will forever guide your lives.”
Class of 2023 Phi Beta Kappa Inductees
Ines Abi Mourad, Economics
Lenny Aharon, Mathematics-Statistics
Anna Bartoux, Political Science
Junet Bedayn, Ethnicity & Race Studies
Zuzanna Bijoch, Financial Economics
Sydney Bowen, African-American Studies
Erin Buckley, Political Science
Claire Chandon, Psychology
Ian Kang Choo, Urban Studies
Alice Chu, Sociology
Jessica De Rocco, Sociology
Clara Debono, Human Rights
Tomas Dias Piva Imparato, Anthropology
Leah Fishman, Philosophy
Elena Flack, Philosophy, Political Science
Hana Gallagher, History
Behrang Garakani, Film and Media Studies
Michel Ge, Comparative Literature & Society
Niccolo Gismondi, Political Science
Victor Gout, Human Rights
Aleksandra Gracheva, Political Science
Vida Han, Sustainable Development
Sophie Harrington, Human Rights
Abigail Ilfeld, Political Science
Olivia Jenkins, History
Vivek Kantamani, Statistics
Joshua Kolberg, Neuroscience and Behavior
Mead Lockwood, Biochemistry
Anna Maher, History
Elisabeth Malanga, Anthropology, Italian
Jiyoon Moon, Urban Studies
Joseph Moussa, Financial Economics
Isabella Noonen, History
Grayson Noyes, Political Science
Marc Orriols Gimenez, Philosophy
Jonah Pitkowsky, American Studies
Amber Ray, Economics, Psychology
Pengfei Ren, Economics-Mathematics
Hunter Rhoades, Human Rights
Christian Rodriguez, Hispanic Studies
Samuel Shih, Economics-Political Science
Noah Simon, Economics-Political Science
Krystal Sun, Mathematics-Statistics
Cecilia Takacs, Information Sciences
Ashley Tan, Political Science
Hussain Taymuree, English
Jennifer Todaro, Archaeology
Bea Urofsky, Sustainable Development
Amanda Van Dyck, Political Science
Keyi Wang, Economics-Mathematics
Zifan Wang, Computer Science
Judy Wu, Mathematics-Statistics
Agatha Wuh, Creative Writing
Justin Yeo, Biological Sciences
Amir Yogev, Political Science
Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest academic honor society, and its initials represent the society's motto: "love of learning is the guide of life." Roughly 10 percent of U.S. institutions of higher learning have Phi Beta Kappa chapters, and among those institutions, only about 10 percent of arts and sciences graduates are selected for membership, making it one of the highest academic honors for undergraduate students in the nation. Today, the Society has more than 500,000 living members.
To be inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society, students must be recommended by faculty who work closely with them and are members of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Recommendations are based on the students' academic programs and their ability to support the society's ideals of academic, social, and community-based programs.