Phi Eta Sigma (PES) is a freshman honor society recognized on campus, and each fall, student representatives from university chapters travel across the country to attend the PES National Convention. This year, Lyndsey Buren, president of PES, and Tara Mahon, vice president of PES, attended the event in Anaheim, California, from Oct. 25-27.
Buren explained, “The convention provided Tara and I with an opportunity to connect with other like-minded peers, exchange ideas, present research, learn from one another.”
Phi Eta Sigma was founded in 1923 and has been rewarding high-achieving students ever since. The convention provides students with notable guest speakers and a chance to come together with other students in the chapter. This year’s convention had over 100 students and faculty chapter advisors.
This year’s guest speaker was Nastia Liukin, an Olympic gymnast and five-time medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
“The highlight of the convention was hearing Nastia Liukin, Olympic gold medalist from the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, deliver the keynote presentation,” Buren continued. “She shared an inspiring message about persevering through difficult times. Liukin spoke about when she had a tough day at practice and told her parents that she wanted to quit gymnastics. Her parents told her that she could quit gymnastics, but only after she had a good day of practice. She shared a valuable lesson that we can’t give up when things get tough. We have to keep showing up and pushing forward, both for ourselves and for others.”
Mahon agreed with Buren. “I learned that Nastia Liukin’s most heartfelt moment was when the crowd gave her a standing ovation after she overcame falling off the balance beam and continuing to finish her routine,” she said.
In the aftermath of this event, Buren explained her key takeaways. “Literacy is one of Phi Eta Sigma’s core values, and I learned about the importance of supporting literacy initiatives in our local communities. It is crucial to instill a love for reading and learning in children from a very young age to support their development and education,” she said.
