Allen Community College welcomed its newest inductees to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society Wednesday evening. Held in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center’s Creitz Recital Hall, the ceremony was one of celebration, as 26 students were recognized and pledged to commit themselves to academic excellence.
“Phi Theta Kappa is more than an honor society. It is a community,” Allen president Dr. Lyvier Leffer told those gathered. “At Allen Community College, we are incredibly proud of you. You represent the very best of who we are and what we aspire to be.”
Dr. Margarita Alely Nuñez Arroyo was the evening’s keynote speaker. A first-generation immigrant scholar who grew up in the Los Angeles area, Nuñez Arroyo recently defended her doctorate in American Studies from the University of Kansas, focusing on Chicana/Latina Gothic literature.
In her remarks, Nuñez Arroyo emphasized the similarities between her journey and that of the students she addressed.
“I want to remind you that I am not unique. This room is full of dreamers,” she said. “I also want to let you know that I do not contain any type of secret knowledge. College is hard. College, while being first-generation, is even harder. I like to think the reason I got this far isn’t about the number of books I read. It is because I’m necia. I’m hard-headed.”
Nuñez Arroyo, who mixed Spanish and English while speaking, addressed “imposter syndrome,” the idea that students from disadvantaged backgrounds will never be seen as equals.
“I still feel that today,” she said. “In fact, earlier today I was thinking to myself, ‘Maybe I don’t really deserve this doctorate. Maybe I am a fake Dr. Nuñez Arroyo, and I won’t make it as a Latina literary critic. Maybe I only got my doctorate because my committee gave it to me out of pity.
“I’m not sure if that voice for me will ever go away,” Nuñez Arroyo said. “But what I can tell you is that education has also helped me build a new voice, one that always asks questions and centers the facts.” 
And, she added, “You are all here because you deserve it. It doesn’t matter if you once got bad grades in college. I am stating that you rose to the challenge and you defied expectations. You were able to thrive.
“My mother has always told me, ‘Lo imposible se hara difícil y lo difícil después se hara fácil.’ That which is impossible will become difficult, and that which was once difficult will become easy.”
Nuñez Arroyo’s message did not seem lost on those in the room.
To be eligible for Phi Theta Kappa, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA as full-time students. Phi Theta Kappa is open only to those enrolled in associate degree-granting colleges, but several high school students enrolled in dual-credit classes were present as well. Like Nunez Arroyo, proof of their hard work is easy to see.
After Nuñez Arroyo’s remarks, students took their pledge as a group then advanced to the front to sign their names and take a white rose. Anne Marie Foley, a sociology instructor and Phi Theta Kappa’s sponsor at Allen along with Alyssa Adams, gave closing remarks, after which students gathered for a group photo and celebrated with friends and family.
AS THE end of another school year approaches, events like these sometimes give the feeling of a conclusion, the closing of a chapter.
The evening had the feel of something quite different, of things just getting started.
As Leffler said in her remarks, “Induction into Phi Theta Kappa isn’t only about what you’ve accomplished. It is also about what lies ahead. It is an invitation — an invitation to continue growing, leading and serving.”
