Press contact: Angela Try
SPRINGFIELD — The Alpha Epsilon Kappa chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Lincoln Land Community College held its fall induction ceremony Oct. 26 in the Student Union on the Springfield campus. The event formally recognized 21 new chapter members with a ceremony and reception attended by family and friends of the inductees, along with representatives from LLCC administration, faculty and staff.
During the ceremony, the following chapter officers were installed:
- Lillian Stark, Springfield, President
- Josh Sellers, Springfield, Vice President of Service
- Shandyll Coble, Bastrop, Vice President of Scholarship
- Khloe Moore, Blue Mound, Vice President of Records
- Ali Higginson, Springfield, Vice President of Fellowship
- Micah Smith, Kinkaid, Vice President of Public Relations
Additional PTK inductees included: Deiona A. Andrews, Kincaid; Rachael Y. Barnett, Springfield; Yosef Beitz, Springfield; Jason V. Bonner, Springfield; Madigan J. Burger, New Berlin; Morgan Alise Coffey, Lincoln; Ella Davis, Taylorville; Blain Goodwin, Nokomis; Lance Grotjan, Springfield; Kyle Hudson, Springfield; Justin Isaacs, Springfield; Tashaunna Kirk, Springfield; Alec Lane, Springfield; Leah Medina, Moweaqua; Gabriella Mireles, Taylorville; Crystal Norris, Riverton; Izabell Reeves, Springfield; Kaylee Richardson, Taylorville; Justis Ruble, Springfield; Jackson St. Clair, Chatham; Parker Stephenson, Murrayville; and Eli Walker, Jacksonville.
The event keynote speaker was Braden Nicoll, former chapter officer, 2025-2026 LLCC Student Trustee and 2026 All-Illinois Academic Team honoree.
"Becoming a member of Phi Theta Kappa reflects a commitment to academic excellence and personal growth,” said Ryan Roberts, professor and librarian, The Learning Center at LLCC and chapter co-advisor. “These students have distinguished themselves through their hard work and dedication, and PTK provides opportunities to build leadership skills, serve their communities and connect with fellow high-achieving students as they continue their educational and career journeys.”
Roberts also credited the students’ commitment for the Alpha Epsilon Kappa chapter’s continued five-star recognition and for being named in recent years as a Top100 Chapter among the nearly 1,300 PTK chapters internationally.
Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society recognizing academic excellence among students at two-year colleges. Its mission includes promoting scholarship, leadership, fellowship and service among its members. More information is available at www.llcc.edu/phi-theta-kappa or by contacting Dr. Gillian Bauer.