Americus, GA (10/19/2020) — Nineteen students at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) were officially inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta national honor society on Thursday, October 1. The socially-distanced ceremony, originally planned for the spring semester, was postponed due to COVID-19 and the campus closure.

Founded in 1924 at the University of Illinois, Alpha Lambda Delta is present on more 280 college campuses across the country. GSW's chapter, founded in 1976, is one of only 16 in the state of Georgia. It was recently brought back to life after remaining inactive since 2015.

"Alpha Lambda Delta has been affiliated with GSW for many years," explained David Jenkins, Ed.D., director of First-Year Experience and advisor for the honor society, "so I am excited to revive the organization into an active chapter again. I hope it will allow the students to continue being engaged on campus and grow as servant leaders. I look forward to watching their success on campus and in the community."

The mission of Alpha Lambda Delta is to encourage superior academic achievement among students in their first year at institutions of higher education, to promote intelligent living and a continued high standard of learning, and to assist students in recognizing and developing meaningful goals for their roles in society.

Alpha Lambda Delta is a certified member of the Association of College Honor Societies, which demonstrates their commitment to excellence and their values as a credible, nationally recognized honor society.

To become a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, students must be enrolled full-time and earn a 3.5 grade point average after their first semester or first year.

The 2020-2021 inductees for Alpha Lambda Delta are:

• Isabel Alcantar - Fort Valley, Ga.
• Marilizabeth "Maribeth" Arthur - Americus, Ga.
• Grant Auer - Midland, Ga.
• Timothy "Timmy" Bryan, Jr. - Buena Vista, Ga.
• Salandria Davis - Albany, Ga.
• James "Jamey" Fowler, Jr. - Camilla, Ga.
• Dailyn Fretwell - Leesburg, Ga.
• Savannah Hall - Blakely, Ga.
• Joseph Hawkins - Middleburg, Fla.
• Ayianna Hopson - Loganville, Ga.
• Amiyah Jackson - Cuthbert, Ga.
• Natalie Land - Leesburg, Ga.
• Gerald "Tripp" Larkey III - Zebulon, Ga.
• Denaja Lewis - Atlanta, Ga.
• Alyssa McGuffie - Dacula, Ga.
• Jonathan Nguyen - Smithville, Ga.
• Kacey Roberson - Tifton, Ga.
• Kaiyah Vickers - Buford, Ga.
• Daniel Wentzell - Leesburg, Ga.

"Academics are important to me because it's why I'm here [at Georgia Southwestern] in the first place," stated Tripp Larkey, GSW junior and recent Alpha Lambda Delta inductee. "This honor society that's been around since 1976 means a lot to me because, as a History major, I enjoy taking part in historic traditions on campus."

Larkey was recently named Mr. GSW and is GSW's Homecoming King as well. During his time at GSW, Larkey has served as a residential leader, zephyr, member of Student Government Association and the History Club, vice president of Chi Phi Fraternity, a GSW marshal, and is a member of other various honor societies.

"Balancing academics and a social life is difficult," said Larkey, "but if you plan ahead of time, it's manageable. I look forward to staying involved on campus, maintaining my GPA, and serving GSW well in my time left on campus."

Georgia Southwestern State University, located in Americus, Ga., is a public, four-year unit of the University System of Georgia with approximately 3,000 students. Georgia Southwestern offers outstanding professional programs of study as well as degrees in the arts, humanities, sciences and graduate programs in business, computer science, education, English, and nursing. Founded in 1906, Georgia Southwestern is recognized as one of the best value colleges in the nation. Visit www.gsw.edu for more information.