Trinity Launches Phi Alpha Chapter

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Trinity Christian College’s newly formed chapter of Phi Alpha, the national honor society for social work, inducted its first members on April 7, 2016. Two faculty members and 20 students made up the inaugural class of the Phi Xi Chapter, along with honorary member Dr. Brad Breems, retired professor of sociology.

The purpose of the Phi Alpha Honor Society is to provide a closer bond among students of social work and promote humanitarian goals and ideas. According to the society’s website, Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers, and its members have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.

The induction ceremony included candle lighting and the presentation of certificates and honor cords. As Bianca Solis ’17 said during the invitation to candle lighting, “You, as members of the Phi Alpha Honor Society, represent the best and the brightest in the world of social work.”

While not a social worker, Breems was recognized for his contributions in establishing the vision and laying the groundwork for what would become the social work program at Trinity. Breems provided a short history of Trinity’s social work program, beginning with the “Theory of Social Work” class offered during the 1968-69 academic year to the establishment of a sociology program to the social work degree program that exists today. “We have grown through the strength of the faculty and the academic excellence exhibited by today’s inductees,” he said.

This year’s inductees were:

Faculty Members

  • Prof. Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein
  • Prof. Lisa Doot Abinoja

Student Members

  • Kayla Bakhshi ’16
  • Cassandra Boyd ’16
  • Victoria Brady ’16
  • Michelle Busscher ’16
  • Cendy Delgado ’16
  • Miranda Deuter ’16
  • Aracely Diaz ’16
  • Danielle Dougherty ’16
  • Brittany Dykstra ’17
  • Nelida Elizondo ’16
  • Abigail Gibson ’16
  • Sarah Gillespie’17
  • Elizabeth Jones ’16
  • Sarah Kischkel ’16
  • Natalie Lavaretto ’16
  • Hannah Limback ’17
  • Anneliese Lokken ’16
  • Angela Pappas ’16
  • Bianca Solis ’17
  • Rachel Toren ’16