Yesterday I participated in one of my favorite events, the December induction ceremony for Phi Beta Kappa. The thirteen seniors we recognized have all excelled in their studies, and they have contributed mightily to the campus culture of inventive, rigorous work. All of these students have faculty mentors who are proud of them, who cheer them on, and who are among the first ones to acknowledge their accomplishments. Staff members, too, have contributed to their success, and it was wonderful to see them at the ceremony, beaming with pride. In Yiddish we call this kvelling, a feeling of fullness from pride and happiness, a gushing of pleasure in someone else’s accomplishment. There was plenty of kvelling at the ceremony today!
Here are the thirteen new inductees:
Brittany Laine Baldwin-Hunter
Biology
Alicia Doo Castagno
American Studies
Ali Khalid Chaudhry
Economics/Mathematics & Computer Science
Lee Solomon Gottesdiener
Chemistry/Neuroscience & Behavior Program
Zin Lin
Mathematics & Computer Science/Physics
Cassidy Siegel Mellin
Neuroscience & Behavior Program/Psychology
Rachel Leah Merzel
Chemistry
Emma Kathryn Mohney
English/Romance Languages & Literatures
Emma Elaine Paine
English
Reed Leon Sarney
Mathematics & Computer Science
Allegra Stout
Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies/Psychology
Brianna Megan van Kan
College of Letters/Music/Russian Languages & Literature
Kathryn Emily Wagner
Biology/Molecular Biology & Biochemistry