UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Kaylen Sitzabee earned an $8,500 fellowship from the Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi.
Sitzabee graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in biology and plans to pursue a master's degree in environmental management at Duke University.
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually and has chapters at more than 300 colleges and universities in the U.S. and its territories. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10% of seniors and graduate students and 7.5% of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify.
Fellowship recipients are selected based upon evidence of:
- graduate potential
- undergraduate academic achievement
- service and leadership experience
- letters of recommendation
- personal statement of educational perspective and career goals
- acceptance in an approved graduate or professional program
Since its creation in 1932, the Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship Program has become one of the honor society's most visible and financially well-supported endeavors. This year’s program awarded two awards at $35,000 each, the 1897 Fellowship and the Sherrill Carlson Fellowship; six $15,000 Marcus L. Urann Fellowships, named for the honor society’s founder; and 40 fellowships of $8,500 each, according to Phi Kappa Phi.
How to join the Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi at Penn State
Junior, senior and graduate students who meet the entrance requirements as specified by the national organization are invited to join in the spring semester each year. Eligible students will receive an email at their Penn State address with a Phi Kappa Phi invitation.
Questions about the Phi Kappa Phi chapter at Penn State can be directed to chapter adviser Patrick Mather, dean, Schreyer Honors College, at ptm101@psu.edu.