U of A's Phi Beta Kappa Chapter Inducts 94 New Members

The Alpha of Arkansas Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa held its annual initiation ceremony on May 7, 2026, in Hillside Auditorium.

The chapter inducted 94 new members from this year's graduating class at the university. Each new initiate signed the book, which has been used for the last 94 years to record names of Phi Beta Kappa members at the U of A, and promised to have paramount regard for moral character and scholarly attainment in the election of future members. They each received a certificate along with a light blue and pink cord to wear at commencement. Provost Indrajeet Chaubey addressed the new initiates and their families as the keynote speaker.

Chapter historian Dr. Trish Starks related the history of the society, which was founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776 and is the oldest and most distinguished honorary society in the country. Leaders of the American Revolution and delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 were among its early members. Two of the founders became U.S. senators, and two became members of the Supreme Court. Six members of the current U.S. Supreme Court are members of Phi Beta Kappa, and 17 American presidents have been members of Phi Beta Kappa.

The chapter also recognized two graduating seniors as Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Scholars, both of whom exhibit the love of learning and outstanding achievement that characterizes chapter members: Leen Samman and Sam Sooter. Samman, an Honors College Fellow from Fort Smith, graduated from the university with an honors degree in biology and psychology. She will be attending medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences this fall. Sooter, an Honors College Fellow from Bentonville, graduated from the university with an honors degree in physics and mathematics. This fall, he will be attending Cambridge University to study engineering as a Churchill Scholar. Each received the 20th edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable along with a Phi Beta Kappa inscribed key to commemorate the award.

Following the ceremony, a reception for new initiates and their guests took place in Gearhart Hall 130, the Honors College Student Lounge. Enrollment Services graciously sponsored the reception along with providing opportunities for new initiates and their families to have their pictures made in Gearhart Hall.

Below is a list of this year's initiates. For more information on Alpha of Arkansas, you can visit our chapter website.

• Hadley Adkison  
• Avery Antill 
• Abdullah Asif 
• Lincoln Bartelt  
• Luke Biddle 
• Ellie Binsbacher  
• Olivia Boykin 
• Emma Bracken  
• Charlie Brandom  
• Mika Brown
• Mary Buchanan
• Christina Burkhalter 
• Sidney Casey 
• Emma Chappell  
• Soumya Chauhan 
• Halen Corbin 
• Lilian Crawford  
• Maximus Crofton 
• Aashvi Dahiya 
• Jaykob De Lima  
• Keelin Fisher 
• Autumn Flynn 
• Cooper Gant 
• Zane Garner 
• Kate Graesser 
• Emma Grambow  
• Kate Gresley 
• Elizabeth Gunderman 
• Katelynn Gurley 
• Madeline Gwinner 
• Rachael Hallier  
• Ella Hendricks 
• Christopher Henley 
• Camryn Hinkle  
• Annika Hogan 
• Carrigan Hughes  
• Ally Iandolo 
• Brianna Ifland 
• Madelynn Jacoby 
• Jonah James 
• Jenna Jennings 
• Madeline Joffrion 
• Addie Jones 
• Nathan Jung
• Isabella Kimbrough 
• Gretchen Kraemer 
• Leonardo Landivar Scott
• Mary Landrum
• Katherine Lanier
• Elise Link
• Phoebe Lowe
• Taylor Maddox 
• Alyse Mandelblatt
• Kristen Marinelli 
• Cole McCallum 
• Sadie McDonald 
• Evan Meyers
• Kaelyn Moran
• Aira Nagatsuka 
• Gavin Nowack
• Isabela Orellana 
• Tyler Outhouse 
• Sara Palmer
• Evelyn Pensamiento
• Vivian Pettigrew
• Gabrielle Phillips
• Presley Priddy
• Jill Qualls
• Amelia Quinlen 
• Anna Rappold
• Kendall Riley
• Kailee Rowe
• Elliott Ruegsegger
• Lillian Sage
• Leen Samman
• Madeleine Schlegel
• Tess Schmieder
• Hannah Shannon 
• Joseph Simon
• Sam Sooter
• Shawn Sproles
• Samantha Stark 
• Naomi Stein
• Samantha Swartzbaugh
• Kathryn Tandy 
• Paige Thompson 
• Kristin Tuttle
• Samuel Vinson 
• Sarah Waller
• John Wardlaw
• Caden Williamson
• Macey Wyler
• Tara Young
• Allyson Zimmerman

For information about the Phi Beta Kappa's Alpha of Arkansas Chapter, you can contact our president, Dr. Noah Pittman (npittman@uark.edu). For information about Phi Beta Kappa nationally, visit https://www.pbk.org/.