FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Phi Beta Kappa, Zeta of Connecticut Chapter at Fairfield University, inducted 45 students into the nation's oldest academic honor society last Sunday, March 25. Among the honorees were three varsity student-athletes –
Sydney Buckley (volleyball),
Megan Theiller (volleyball) and
Jenny Jacobs (women's soccer) – and dance team members Viviana Micciche and Jacqueline Orlandi.
Richard A. Greenwald, PhD, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of History, gave the keynote address at the ceremony celebrating the academic excellence and achievement of Fairfield's scholars.
A Political Science major, Buckley has also recently been inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha – the National Political Science Honor Society. At that ceremony, she was the recipient of the Passarelli-Guinta Award for Academic Excellence in the Study of Politics. Buckley is a three-time MAAC All-Academic honoree and an ECAC All-Academic selection. She contributed on the volleyball court to Fairfield's three consecutive MAAC Championships (2015, 2016, 2017) and will graduate ranked eighth all-time in program history with 1,732 career assists.
Another standout for Fairfield Volleyball, Theiller has excelled academically as a Biology major. She was recognized as one of 30 candidates nationally for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award and earned 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District laurels. Throughout her career, Theiller set Fairfield Volleyball records with seven career MAAC Player of the Week honors and four MAAC Player of the Week nods in a single season (2016). She is one of four Stags to eclipse 1,200 kills and 1,200 digs in her career, ranking sixth all-time in kills (1,288) and 11th in digs (1,213). Theiller is a two-time All-MAAC honoree, earning First Team laurels in 2016 and a Second Team nod in her injury-shortened 2017 campaign. She is also a two-time MAAC All-Championship Team member, highlighted by MVP honors at the 2015 edition of the tournament, and the 2014 MAAC Rookie of the Year.
Jacobs is a Psychology major and three-year performer with Fairfield Women's Soccer, earning MAAC All-Academic honors in both 2016 and 2017. She has suited up for 47 games in her career, totaling seven goals and five assists for the Stags. She was named NSCAA National Player of the Week as a freshman in 2015 after netting three goals in a win at Saint Peter's – the first hat trick for a Stag since 2007.
Micciche, a captain of the 2018 dance team, is a Public Relations major. Fellow team member and classmate Orlandi majors in Psychology.
Each spring, Phi Beta Kappa, Zeta of Connecticut inducts new members from among the most academically accomplished seniors and a highly select group of juniors. Election to this chapter is based on academic standing (top 10 percent of the class), evidence of broad intellectual curiosity, independent work and thought, outstanding work in the liberal arts, and good character. Membership to Fairfield's chapter, Zeta of Connecticut, is restricted to students who complete most of their coursework in the liberal studies curriculum; typically those are students who pursue BA or BS degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Fairfield University's Zeta of Connecticut Chapter, established in 1994, is one of only six colleges and universities in the state of Connecticut and one of 13 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide that has been awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
The Phi Beta Kappa Society, whose letters stand for the Greek phrase, "Love of wisdom, the guide of life," was founded in 1776 at The College of William and Mary. The society currently includes over 250 chapters at institutions of higher learning across the United States and sets high standards for students elected to membership as well as the institutions that shelter a chapter. Phi Beta Kappa chapters actively sponsor programs to honor scholarship and promote intellectual life on their campuses.
2018 Phi Beta Kappa, Zeta of Connecticut Chapter inductees:
Seniors
Nadra M. Al-Hamwy
Bridget E. Belfiore
Christina T. Boalt
Sydney S. Buckley
Maria E. Cardone
Brianna Cerrito
Lauren S. Cicchetti
Layra G. Cintrón-Rivera
Emily S. Danca
Claire M. Davin
Allison R. Devaney
Haleigh M. Doherty
Caitlyn E. Dour
Jacqueline N. Ferreri
Sarah E. Foley
Daniel H. Gatazka
Camille T. Giacovas
Izabella D. Guzzo
Michael J. Harding
Jessica L. Jalbert
Emily C. Jones
Erica R. Jowdy
Molly M. Kennedy
Marina G. Lindland
Jessica A. Lizotte
Hayley R. McGregor
Viviana A. Micciche
Erin M. Monahan
Samantha P. H. Moore
Jacqueline K. Orlandi
Jennifer L. Schwartz
John P. Simon
Margaret E. Smith
Caoimhe P. Stafford
Megan A. Theiller
Michael A. Vavala
Emma G. Waters
Meghan C. Zimmer
Juniors
Richard A. Capobianco
Lauren C. Hart
Jennifer L. Jacobs
Peter D. Kwauk
Allison N. Peeney
Sarah Swanson
Sean E. Tomlinson
