We can actually make a difference,’ Phi Theta Kappa president says

By Lydia Hansen

Managing Editor

Lydia.Hansen1961@mb.rctc.edu

RCTC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter inducted Tanner Garity on April 19 as the 2017-2018 chapter president.

Garity has been a Postsecondary Enrollment Options student for two semesters and is succeeding previous co-presidents Lizette Reiland and Spencer Berning. Though he has only been regularly attending chapter meetings for two months, Garity felt it was important to him to become involved with the honor society.

“Being involved was the best option,” he said. “I like working with Jamie Mahlberg [the chapter adviser] and the possibility of working with community members.”

As chapter president, Garity is responsible for setting an agenda for the chapter, ensuring members continue working toward various chapter goals. These include the College and Honors in Action projects, which allow members to become actively involved on campus and in the community.

Garity’s personal hopes as chapter president are to help with unemployment in the Rochester community. He expects it will take considerable research to craft an Honors in Action project for the upcoming school year that will make a difference, but he believes it is an important effort to make.

“We are the honor students,” he explained. “We can actually make a difference. We talk to professors and know what they’re thinking, and we are students, so we know what they’re thinking. We’re in the position to be student ambassadors.”