BFIT Welcomes New Franklin Honor Society Members

December 8, 2020

The prestigious Franklin Honor Society hosted its fall induction ceremony yesterday, welcoming 13 new student members in a touching virtual ceremony.

“When they say life is filled with obstacles, they were not considering the scale we experienced in 2020,” BFIT CEO Aisha Francis told the inductees during the Zoom event. “This group here today not only met these obstacles head on, but reached the highest levels of academic achievement despite them. I want each of you to recognize how amazing that is and take pride in your tremendous accomplishment.”

Students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.35 who have no current grade below C and have successfully completed a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester are invited to participate as Franklin Scholars.

Spearheaded by Abby McDonough, Peer Mentoring Coordinator, the induction ceremony included virtual―and spirited―recognition of all the new student members of the Honor Society by their peers, as well as faculty and staff. Each inductee was honored individually by having their name read out (to raucous applause) accompanied by a screen image that included their name, major, official membership certificate, and a flickering candle gif. When the event is held in person, inductees each light a candle from the flame held by a current Honor Society member. The light of the candle is symbolic of knowledge and service, and lighting it as a scholarly community symbolizes unity and allegiance to each other as Franklin Scholars.

Congratulations to all the newly inducted Franklin Honor Society members:

• Khara Baptist, Computer Technology
• Marie Rose Bossous, Opticianry
• LaToya S. Clements, Health Information Technology
• Walter S. Weimann, Automotive Technology
• Patrick M. Tracey, Electrical Technology
• Aymene Bali, Biomedical Engineering Technology
• Xiao Juan Li, Computer Technology
• William H. Harney, Mechanical Engineering Technology
• Qing Han, HVAC&R Technology
• Ali Ouedraogo, Construction Management
• Samuel Yohannes Buta, Health Information Technology
• Humberto Vieira Da Silva, Electronic Engineering Technology
• Marie H. Myrthil, Construction Management

For the first time in its history, the Franklin Honor Society also inducted two faculty and staff members as honorary members in recognition of their outstanding contributions that aid and support student success and achievement. The honorary inductees were Sally Heckel, Director of Learning, who was cited for her dedication to all students but especially those with learning disabilities, and David Kamin, Assistant Professor, Math and Physics, who embraced remote learning by finding innovative ways to keep students engaged and excited in class.

In his remarks, Kamin told the students that being a talented student is a good start. But he said he discovered long ago that the best way to truly learn and understand a topic is to share your knowledge with others.

“If you want to push yourselves from talented student to accomplished professional, the path that will lead you there is that of mentor and teacher,” Kamin said.