Rollins Inducts 24 New Members of Phi Beta Kappa

On February 27, the Rollins chapter of Phi Beta Kappa—known as Theta Chapter of Florida—inducted its fourth class of members. The latest cohort of Rollins students join 17 U.S. presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court justices, and more than 150 Nobel Laureates as members of Phi Beta Kappa (PBK), the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Less than 1 percent of all college students in the U.S. qualify for acceptance, with members undergoing a highly selective, merit-based invitation process. Membership recognizes their status among the best and brightest liberal arts and sciences undergraduate students in the nation.

Presiding over the installation and induction ceremony were MacKenzie Moon Ryan, Theta Chapter president and art history professor; PBK historian and psychology professor Alice Davidson; PBK vice president and chemistry professor Laurel Habgood; and emeritus philosophy professor Tom Cook.

“Phi Beta Kappa recognizes the highest-achieving liberal arts students who crucially demonstrate both depth and breadth of study,” shares Moon Ryan. “On the occasion of the fourth annual induction, I am reminded of the importance of maintaining our traditions that truly embody what Rollins is all about—a rigorous liberal arts education that seeks to teach students to engage issues from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Membership in Phi Beta Kappa confirms and celebrates a commitment to freedom of thought. I am proud that Phi Beta Kappa is part of the fabric of Rollins College. The induction ceremony functions as an annual tradition—both a reminder and a moment to celebrate the deep commitment to learning how, not what, to think.”

During his address, Cook shared the value of studying the liberal arts and how it prepares students to lead meaningful lives and productive careers.

“Your liberal education aligns perfectly for what you’ll be facing,” he says. “And that’s a great thing about a liberal arts education—if you’ve studied everything, you’re ready for anything. And now you also have the surest indicator of intellectual seriousness and academic achievement in American higher education—membership in Phi Beta Kappa.”

This year’s 24 Phi Beta Kappa inductees make for a total of 90 Tars thus far to earn a spot in the Theta Chapter at Rollins, which is part of a distinguished set of less than 10 percent of colleges in the U.S.—and only seven others in Florida—to shelter a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

2025 Student Phi Beta Kappa Inductees

• Bal Acharya ’25, Computer science and mathematics
• Delaney Benton ’25, English and music
• Sydney Boswell ’25, Environmental studies and public policy & political economy
• Georgia Bush ’24, Psychology
• Joshua Camut ’25, Political science
• Robin Ann Celani ’25, Psychology
• Reagan Cooney ’25, History and English
• Isabelle Daoust ’25, Psychology
• Paula Espinosa ’25, English and theatre arts
• Benjamin Haidukewych ’25, Biochemistry/molecular biology and music
• Pia Alejandra Hernandez ’25, Music and religious studies
• Skylar Hines ’25, Spanish and environmental studies
• Jack Kelly ’25, English and sociology
• Paloma Arianne Kluger ’25, English and sociology
• Adam Zakaria Lahlou ’24, International relations
• Arabella Lilleslatten ’25, Music and political science
• Abrielle Mannino ’25, Public policy & political economy and philosophy
• Jillian Provost ’25, Marine biology
• Lauren Schefter ’25, Physics
• Morgan Jean Thompson ’25, Anthropology
• Gabriela Tirado Ramirez ’25, Political science and philosophy
• Divya W. Uppal ’25, Biology
• Amelia Webb ’25, History
• Emma Westcott ’25, Psychology