“This recognition by the national PTK office is fitting, given the decade of service to our PTK students by Brenda and Christy,” said Ron Chesbrough, Ph.D., SCC president. “I can't think of two more deserving recipients of recognition.”
Phi Theta Kappa is the international academic honor society of two-year colleges.
Though Gant, SCC English and literature instructor, and Hollrah, SCC College Center coordinator, volunteered to become club advisors for different reasons, they both are passionate about the organization.
“I was a member of PTK when I was a student at SCC,” said Gant. “I loved the organization so much that I always knew I'd want to give back. Becoming an advisor was a natural step.”
Hollrah was seeking an outlet to get health information out to the students. “As I learned about the organization, I realized the worth of the PTK mission,” said Hollrah. “It's a society that appreciates students for their success and challenges them to move even further. Along with the challenge, PTK supports students by providing training, opportunity for personal development and scholarships to further students' education.”
Both advisors continue to enjoy volunteering as PTK advisors to this day. “Working with PTK students has been challenging on many levels, but it has been very rewarding,” said Hollrah. “It takes a lot of time, but I would do it again in a heartbeat!”
“The students are all very different, coming from a variety of backgrounds and having different goals, but they have something in common - the desire to succeed,” said Gant. “They give me hope for the future.”
For more information about SCC's PTK chapter, contact Gant at 636-922-8665 or cgant@stchas.edu.
St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit stchas.edu.