Phi Kappa Phi picks three from Eunice area

The following area residents recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
Ashly Perkins of Eunice, initiated at University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Courtney LeJeune of Iota, initiated at University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Crystal Berzas of Mamou, initiated at University of Louisiana at Lafayette
These students are among approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year.
Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership.
Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine and headquartered in Baton Rouge, , Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society.
The Society has chapters on more than 300 college and university campuses in North America and the Philippines. Its mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”
Since its founding, more than 1.25 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization’s more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist David Baldacci and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley.
The Society has awarded approximately $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, $1 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards and grants for local and national literacy initiatives.