On April 19th, 2024, students of all walks of life walked past their seated friends and family. Congregating at the foot of the state in Building 27 of the Olympia SPSCC campus. These students are inductees into the invite only international 2-year college honor society known as Phi Theta Kappa. All inductees have carried a full course load of 12 credits a quarter and earned a stellar 3.5 GPA, minimum. Invited students should also count themselves lucky – only 12% of college students are accepted into PTK, according to PTK’s strategic plan for 2017-2022.

Despite the honors and opportunities, most students outside of PTK don’t know what PTK is until they get the invite. I certainly didn’t, as did the PTK chapter officer of Services and Fellowship, Pushpinder “Artemis” Kaur.

“It felt like a scam, it doesn’t feel real.” Kaur said, referring to PTK. When one organization offers so much: millions of dollars in scholarships, professional and educational development courses, opportunities for undergraduate research, and so much more, all a one-time charge of $70, which can be waived, it sounds too good to be true.

Phi Theta Kappa was founded in 1918, and remains one of the most prestigious honors societies for 2-year colleges. The SPSCC PTK chapter, Alpha Xi Phi, was chartered originally in 1988. The Pandemic hit the chapter hard, and effectively went dormant before being revitalized by the advisors Christina Pleasants, Roosevelt Mendez, and Jessica Mcelwee. AXP is being rebuilt from the ground up, due to the toll the pandemic took.

Despite the revitalization, AXP offers all the same benefits as fully formed PTK chapters. $246 million in scholarships are available for PTK members. The Vice President of Leadership, Genobia King-Webster said, “close to 800 colleges and universities” offer scholarships based on PTK membership. Each scholarship is unique to its school, so if you want to take advantage of that, contact the schools you’re interested in, and visit the PTK website to do more research.

PTK also offers training services like PTKEdge that offers introductory courses to things like transferring to a 4-year college, which is the course I am taking. There are lessons on filling out FAFSA, the differences between scholarships, grants, work-studies, or loans. It also goes over the types of loans a student might consider to help pay for university. There are a few quizzes, and this course does have a grading system. For Transfer Edge specifically, Eastern Oregon University, Southern New Hampshire University, Thomas Edison State University, and University of Arizona Global Campus, all offer transfer credits based on this PTK Edge course completion. However, King-Webster suggests that a prospective student double check with the university of choice before assuming a PTKEdge course will count as credits. You can’t be too cautious when it comes to verifying credit transfers.

I would recommend that you complete these courses on a PC or laptop, as the website is very much designed with that format in mind. Some downloads I was unable to access because I was taking the course on my iPad. If transferring isn’t a concern, then there is also Employment Edge, Competitive Edge, Healthcare Edge, and Research Edge. All are self-paced, and all are completely free of charge.

According to Pleasants, PTKEdge may be most useful for first generation college students and international students. Pleasants elaborated saying, “PTKEdge may support their learning and growth where they might not otherwise receive it.”

On top of scholarships and career advancements, PTK also offers volunteering opportunities. “Having that volunteering experience will elevate your resume and give you a competitive advantage when applying for scholarships and colleges,” Pleasants said. Another edge that PTK can offer its members over non-PTK members. Working with and helping oceanic life, promoting the environment and environmental causes, AXP is assisting with good local work around the Olympia area.

But some benefits won’t be held behind PTK’s gilded garden. AXP is planning on creating a club, which anyone can join. Kaur said “we are thinking of doing workshops for leadership and other educational/academic stuff.” Meaning some of the resources available to PTK members only, will be taught and passed onto the general SPSCC student body.

If you are interested in learning more about SPSCC’s PTK chapter, then contact the advisors at ptk@spscc.edu.