The University of Mary Washington inducted 34 students earlier this year into Phi Beta Kappa, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor societies.
Senior Nichole Boigegrain is one of 34 UMW students elected to Phi Beta Kappa, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic societies. Here, she stands with the PBK marker on Campus Walk. UMW’s Kappa of Virginia chapter celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.
Founded in 1776 – the same year as the signing of the Declaration of Independence – the organization is dedicated to championing a liberal arts and sciences education. In the midst of the American Revolution, Phi Beta Kappa’s founders recognized that institutions needed to be “a grounding force and elevating influence in turbulent times,” according to its website – a principle the society upholds today.
Notable members include presidents and Supreme Court justices, activists W.E.B. DuBois and Helen Keller, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Nichole Boigegrain joined the ranks of that elite group of scholars, including those who have been initiated into UMW’s Kappa of Virginia chapter over the last half century, since its founding in 1970. But she had to navigate through some 21st-century problems along the way. Read more.
