Excited chatter gave way to silent anticipation as Phi Theta Kappa Vice President Justin Lewis called to order for his third time this semester.

Students listened intently on Thursday, Sept. 22 as Lewis wrapped up outstanding club business such as seeking member participation in Honors in Action, and introduced fresh business, homecoming float design and concepts.

PTK welcomes students of all ages, genders, creeds, and cultures, however, admission does come with a price.

As Lewis put it, “PTK is the honor society on campus so to become an official member of the Beta Alpha Beta chapter which Cerritos is based, you will have to have a 3.5 GPA for the semester to get an invitation to become a member next semester and to maintain your membership status you will have to maintain a 3.0 GPA.”

However, if students do not feel comfortable being placed under that kind of academic pressure Lewis stated that PTK is more than welcome in accepting honorary members, students volunteering with the club, attending meetings when able, and simply have a presence in PTK club life

Business Major Raul Avalos states his reasons for becoming an official member with PTK.

“What motivated me [to join the club] was, I get to learn different kind of things, attend leadership conferences, and get first priority to scholarships but I came and joined and I learned all the benefits that you get.

“Pretty much some of the benefits were that your name is pretty much out there, it’s published but at the same time you get recognized by other groups in the society because we are one of the tiniest groups that represents the honor society so I really like that, I like to be a part of that one small percentage of the honor society.

Avalos continued, “One thing I do want to do in this club is make a difference like trying to get more students to actually bring up their GPA so that we could graduate from Cerritos College and move on to a four year university.

The vice president noted that he has seen students attend Cerritos College but never finish an associate’s degree.

“This is why I joined Phi Theta Kappa because Phi Theta Kappa is a group of believers.”

Phi Theta Kappa’s main mission is to encourage students and members to live up to their academic potential while also playing a viable role in society and local communities.

Lewis states, “We have four hallmarks; fellowship, leadership, service, and scholarship.”