MAC Students Recognized at Heartland Region PTK Conference

MAC Students Recognized at Heartland Region PTK Conference

Sophomore Eden Mack of Centerville (right) completed Transfer Edge, a PTK professional development course which prepares students to successfully transfer to a four-year college

Five students from the Phi Theta Kappa Lambda chapter at Mineral Area College recently attended the Heartland Region Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Conference, held March 1-3 in Overland Park, Kansas.

During the three-day event, PTK members and advisors from Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri had the opportunity to network and attend sessions on various topics designed to engage, inform, and inspire.

Audrey Fisher, PTK officer said her favorite part of the Regional Conference was connecting with other PTK members and getting to know members from other chapters.

“I am glad I attended the PTK regional conference because it provided me with many insightful educational stories of people from several different backgrounds,” Fisher said. “My favorite motivational speaker was the Forensics Photographer/Crime Scene Specialist, Chris Engle-Tjaden.”

The conference also included opportunities for awards and recognition. Two Lambda chapter officers were honored for completing a PTK Edge professional development course, a self-paced learning opportunity available exclusively to PTK members:

• Sophomore Eden Mack of Centerville completed Transfer Edge, which prepares students to successfully transfer to a four-year college.
• Sophomore Jenna Groves of Park Hills completed Healthcare Edge, which offers preparation to successfully transition from an academic program to a career in the healthcare field.

PTK Advisor Alison Sheets and students Julie Faulkner, Eden Mack, Meagan Denkler, Alyssa Sample, and Audrey Fisher represented MAC at the regional conference.

The Lambda chapter was recognized as a Four-Star Chapter, a marked improvement over the chapter’s performance over the past few years and a testament to the group's work to reach new students, engage the membership, network within the region, and be campus leaders.

In August 2023, Meagan Denkler, chapter president, proposed a goal of raising their chapter star status from a two-star to a four-star chapter this academic year. With successful teamwork, the entire chapter achieved that goal by inviting eligible students to join PTK, participating in a regional networking event, completing more professional and leadership development courses, managing the creation of a student lounge college project, and submitting a Hallmark Entry and chapter success to PTK headquarters.  

PTK advisor Alison Sheets says that she’s proud of the work the students have put in this year, and she’s looking forward to seeing the Lambda chapter grow.

“Now’s the perfect time to become more involved with PTK,” Sheets said. “We’ll be electing our 2024-25 officers at the next PTK member meeting on Friday, April 12, at 2 pm in the student lounge. We are looking for students who want to make a difference at MAC through a student leadership role, which can result in additional scholarship money at a transfer institution.”

Current PTK members are eligible for nomination to next year’s slate of officers. If you’ve received an invitation and are interested in joining PTK or are a current member who would like to become an officer, please contact Sheets at 573-518-3848 or asheets@MineralArea.edu.