May 22, 2020
New initiates named to Kappa Tau Alpha
Sixteen undergraduate and graduate students in the Journalism Department have been initiated into Kappa Tau Alpha (KTA), the Journalism and Mass Communication honor society, marking its 50th year at CSUN.
This special group of undergraduate and graduate candidates, from the beginning of their educational journeys, have worked hard to reach the pinnacle of success.
Inducted this year are 13 undergraduates, including Sara Delia, who also received the Top Scholar Award for highest grade point average, and Veronica Mireles, A. Gabrielle Puzon, Romona Kivett, Shannon Fonseca, Erica Felder, Jed Bookout, Georgia Rios, Brittany Smith, Grisel Martin-Leal, Jordan Nathan, Isa Garcia and Elaina Tovar.
Three Mass Communication master’s program students also qualified for membership: Top Scholar Marta Valier, as well as Tiago Souza Barreiro and Taraneh Atrian.
Election to KTA is determined by scholastic performance – normally the top 10 percent of each year's graduating class – and by the faculty's confidence that new members will continue to be interested in the intellectual aspects of journalism and mass communication. Membership is wholly honorary.
KTA can be compared to Phi Beta Kappa, the distinguished liberal arts scholarship society, said Department Chair Linda Bowen. Its presence on campus began 50 years ago: The Kenneth S. Devol chapter was founded in 1970, named for the prominent CSUN media law and ethics professor and author. This year’s class brings the total number of initiates to 555 outstanding scholars, she noted.
Initiates receive a plaque, medallion and honor cord as well as a key pin from the national organization to commemorate the honor.
New KTA members normally are honored during the Department’s annual Awards Reception and Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society Ceremony. While the coronavirus pandemic changed celebration plans, the honorees were encouraged to celebrate the occasion by reviewing the Ritual for the Initiation of Members, and take the pledge on your own.
I'm pleased to convey the entire faculty’s congratulations on your excellent academic record and wish you continued success in our field.
The seventh oldest national honor society, KTA was founded at the University of Missouri in 1910 at the world's first school of journalism. The Society has 96 chapters and has inducted 75,000 outstanding students since its founding in 1910. Kappa Tau Alpha is a non-profit (501-c-3) organization and is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, the nation's only certifying agency for college and university honor societies.