“Through Knowledge–the Challenge to Serve.” That is the slogan of Phi Alpha, the Social Work National Honor Society that inducted 29 new members on Mar. 31, bringing the Upsilon chapter to a total of 51 active members.
Melissa MacDonald, MSW student and Phi Alpha president, explained, “Our mission as a society is to provide a closer bond among students of social work and to promote humanitarian goals and ideals. Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites those who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and achievement into membership each year.”
Phi Alpha means love of humanity. Membership in Phi Alpha can help increase the confidence of social work students in their abilities as a social worker. Having the opportunity to collaborate with other social work students paired with exposure to different cultural and professional perspectives can help members develop their skills and further their knowledge.
Shantice Wright, second year DSW student and Phi Alpha secretary, said, “Joining Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society allows students to foster cultural humility, connections, community, fellowship, and mentorship amongst each other. Also, professional connections are established based on the society’s values, further advancing varieties of social work practices.”
“The induction ceremony was an amazing experience to acknowledge inductees and their dedication to social work. Inductees and their family members were celebrated, and the passion of social work in the room was incredibly moving,” said Adriana Mellios, MSW student and Phi Alpha treasurer.
“We had a wonderful time welcoming all of our new inductees into the chapter and recognizing their high achievement,” said MacDonald. “The whole day would not have been possible without the efforts of my fellow e-board members and our faculty advisor, Professor Colleen Beach.”
“The induction ceremony was an amazing experience to acknowledge inductees and their dedication to social work … Having the opportunity to celebrate the inductees’ hard work and shared passion for social work fostered a lot of empowerment and hope for the future of social work,” concluded Mellios.
