2016 BMCC Commencement Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Kappa

Alpha Kappa Graduates,


First on foremost, congratulations for your incredible achievement!


We would like to invite you to sit at the reserved spots for Phi Theta Kappa members at the commencement ceremony. In order to sit with your chapter, you must sign up at the following link:

Commencement Ceremony

Deadline: May 25, 2016 9am

Members, please note that the seats are based on first-come-first-serve. However, you will still need to sign up here.
Executive & Officers, you will have seats reserved, but you will still need to sign up here.
We will be at the front of the line with two Advisers .
*We strongly suggest that you prearrange a place to meet your guests after the ceremony.

Once again congratulations on your achievement!

PTK’s NY Regional Conference 2016

Celebrating 30 Years From

March 4th to 6th, Phi Theta Kappa’s Chapters from BMCC and La Guardia Community College joined forces to host the Phi Theta Kappa’s NY Regional Conference 2016. Members, alumnae, regional coordinators, officers, advisory board, as well as a few special guests, met to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Now you might ask, what is a Regional Conference and what exactly do we do there?

Well, the Regional as we call it, give members the chance to celebrate and acknowledge academic excellence, student development, community service, and leadership. It is also an opportunity for networking with neighboring chapter’s members and discuss Phi Theta Kappa’s various initiatives. As member of BMCC’s Phi Theta Kappa-Alpha Kappa Chapter, I was fortunate to attend the event, and which I am glad to summarize for you:

Day 1

The Opening Ceremony. At Ricard Herris Terrace hall at BMCC, members and guests were treated to dinner having the opportunity to mingle and to network; Candaceia Charles from La Guardia Community College performed a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, and BMCC Provost and Sr. VP of Academic Affairs, Karrin E. Wilks gave the commencement speech.

Following were: Amie Bernstein International President for Division 1, who gave an account of her experience as a former Regional President; and later, Dr. Vincent Cheng, Assistant Professor, Communications Program Coordinator at BMCC’s Speech, in the communication and Theatre Arts department. Delivered a very thought provoking speech on working hard and staying current with world events. Dr Cheng said, “You have to use your brain until it hurts,” which scared the living daylights out of me, though I must admit he is right, basically exhorting us to seek the rewards that only hard work can provide. You know the saying, “No pain no gain.”

Afterwards, we engaged in the Fellowship Event, where members chose to socialize by either playing puzzle games or going for a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to enjoy the city’s landscape. I chose the latter, which was awesome for those like me, who had never been to the ferry before. A real treat!

Day 2

During breakfast, guest speaker Amie Bernstein, International President of Division 1, from Suffolk County Community College, offered the opening remarks, followed by the outgoing Regional Officers, who gave their reflections about their personal experiences.

Departing Officers: Ainsley Brundage, Mohawk Valley Community College (President); Michael Campbell, Onondaga Community College (Northern Vice President); Niam Youssif Traore, Westchester Community College (Southern Vice President); Richard Thomas, Monroe Community College (Western Vice President); Amanda Smith, Monroe Community College (Executive Secretary); and, Andrew Edwards, Mohawk Valley Community College (Alumni Representative).


The day continued with Workshop Sessions that included:

• Honors in Action (HIA) Hosted by: Amanda Smith (NY Phi Theta Kappa Executive Secretary), Michael Campbell (NY Phi Theta Kappa Northern Vice President). Presenters talked about the 8 steps to a successful Honors Project. They discussed the DOs and DON’Ts, using previous projects as examples, and gave a first look at the new HIA topic for 2016.
• What kind of Leader are you? Hosted by: Richard Thomas (NY Phi Theta Kappa Western Vice President), and Andrew Edwards (NY Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Representative). Participants of this workshop were educated on diverse leadership approaches, styles, and personality traits you might find functional to each individual.
• Phi Theta Kappa: The Basics (Which I chose to attend) Hosted by: Ainsley Brundage (NY Phi Theta Kappa President), and Niam Traore Youssif (NY Phi Theta Kappa Southern Vice President). This session was basically an informative dialog on Phi Theta Kappa fundamentals, followed by a Q&A session to elucidate on all aspects pertaining the organization’s role, as well as its members’ responsibilities and benefits of being a member/officer. 

Afterwards, we all got back together for an exhibition of various posters created by the different chapters in attendance, showcasing their values and goals. We had the opportunity to learn about their inspiration and influences; and later, we voted to choose the best one. Below is photo gallery of the posters. Can you guess which one took the grand prize? 

Day 3

After breakfast, Regional Awards were given out, followed by the induction of the Newly Elected Regional Officers, followed by closing remarks from Alex d’Erizans Senior Faculty Advisor, the Convention came to end. All in all, it was an awesome experience! Now, here is a little treat for you: below is a little video diary to give you a sneak peak of the conference. Click on the bottom bellow to watch! 

Chinazom Anekwe, PTK-AK Publishing Team

PTK-AK Chapter Spring 2016 College Project

PTK-AK Chapter Spring 2016 College Project:

“C4: Creating Character, Constructing Career,”

As Phi Theta Kappa members, we pride ourselves on our academic achievements, with the understanding that good grades alone won’t guarantee success in today’s world. Therefore, we must learn to market our accomplishments as well as our abilities to get the job that will allow us to reach our goals, not just as individuals, but also as a community. Giving back and sharing knowledge are a big part of what we do at Phi Theta Kappa, where we strongly believe in the proverb “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”  Based on this principle, we want to assist all students at BMCC to maximize their potential and reach their goals by providing the means to make the transition into the professional arena, as successful as their academics.

Each semester, the Phi Theta Kappa - Alpha Kappa chapter at BMCC chooses and develops a project that best reflects its ideals, and Spring 2016 is not the exception, so we decided to organize an event with all the necessary tools to succeed titled “C4: Creating Character, Constructing Career,” where students will learn about: writing the perfect resume and impressive cover letters, self-promotion and networking, and the opportunity to participate in mock interviews, where they will receive feedback on the DOs and DON’Ts that can “make” or “break” the connection with any interviewer.

In addition, we had been extremely fortunate to book as keynote speaker, one of the best headhunters not only in the U.S. but in the world. She works for some of the largest corporations around the globe, with more than 30,000 hirings during the last year alone, including CFOs and CEOs. Thanks to her expertise and success rate, she ranks in the top 1 percent of recruiters worldwide.  She is Dandan Zhu, Dandan Global’s Founder & CEO, a coaching company focused on helping professionals understand, navigate and leverage the recruitment process to achieve the life and career they envision.

On Wednesday, March 16, Phi Theta Kappa members will meet with Ms. Zhu in preparation for the main event that will take place on Wednesday, May 4th, 2016 at Richard Harris Terrace and will be open for all BMCC students. We encourage you to take advantage of this great opportunity to learn from some of the best advisers available on the recruitment field. So, stay connected, “Like,” and “Share” this post with your fellow students, and hopefully we will meet you then!

Cesar Perez, PTK-AK Publishing Team

Flyers for College Project

Dear Alpha Kappa Chapter members please give your provisions to the following flyers. 

* Note we will be adding more flyers towards Wednesday so please check the blog regularly.


 - Communication's team flyer



 - 2nd Communication's team flyer



 - Publishing's team flyer

P.T.K. Welcomes New Members

"Action Is The Fundamental Key To Success- Pablo Picasso "

On Wednesday Oct. 26, 2015 new member were invited into Theater II to take their first essential step at investing in a brighter academic future.

Executive Board members and officers shared their personal stories of what being a Phi Theta Kappan means to them.It means not giving up in the face of a challenge along with the desire to give ones best. During the orientation the scholars were given information about  the organization roots and history.To live , To learn, To Achieve that is the true meaning that define what Phi Theta Kappa is about.

Anyone and everyone is invited to join or stop by on Wednesdays from the hour of 3- 3:50 pm in room N796.

Lateef Bello 

Journalist Officer 

Alpha Kappa Chapter 

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society