Two Northeast Texas Community College students were recently named to the 2016 Coca-Cola College Academic Team. Isaac Burris was named a Coca-Cola Gold Scholar and Morgan Capps was named a Coca-Cola Gold Silver Scholar.†The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver and 50 Bronze Scholars, and providing nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each Gold Scholar receives a $1,500 scholarship and a special medallion and each Silver Scholar receives a $1,250 scholarship and a special medallion.
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society administers the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Program and recognizes Coca-Cola Community College scholars during All-State Community College Academic Team Recognition ceremonies held in 38 states. Student scholars also receive recognition locally during ceremonies held on campus and internationally for those who are able to attend Phi Theta Kappa?s Annual Convention.
?We were so proud to learn that both Isaac and Morgan were named to the Coca-College College Academic Team this year. They are outstanding students both academically, and through their work with our Alpha Mu Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa,? Dr. Melissa Fulgham, NTCC Phi†That Kappa Sponsor, said.
Burris is a graduate of Mount Pleasant High School and a Presidential Scholar in Honors Northeast. As a freshman at NTCC, his paper on the ?Varangian Option? for slaves in Texas won fourth place in the state-wide Caldwell Competition in Corpus Christi. On this same topic, he won an invitation and presented work at the Great Plains Honors Council on South Padre Island in April, and he has won an invitation to present in Chicago at the 2015 meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC). Burris has been very active in the film culture of Honors Northeast. †In the 2015 film, he played a run-away slave; in the†film on Ma and Pa Ferguson, Burris has served as the cinematographer.†He also won third Place and $200 at the 2015 McGraw Hill Poster contest.†Burris was one of ten inaugural Pearson Scholars. The intensely competitive scholarship awarded $5,000 plus free Pearson textbooks to assist in the completion of both his associate's and bachelor's degree.
Additionally, Burris served as the Texas Regional Vice President for District III of Phi Theta Kappa for 2015-2016. In that capacity he planned and presided at various district and regional conventions, speaking before†crowds of up to 500 attendees.†At the recent Texas Regional Convention he was inducted into the Texas Region Hall of Honor, as well as the District III Hall of Honor.
Capps is a Presidential Scholar in Honors Northeast and has won numerous state and local†awards in that capacity.†Her Texas History paper on Ma and Pa Ferguson won second place in the statewide Caldwell competition and ultimately became the basis for the Honors Northeast film on the same topic.†She was named a Coca-Cola Leader of Promise in 2015. Capps was the 2014 Valedictorian of Jefferson Christian Academy. Her major at NTCC is Pre-Baccalaureate Nursing. She plans to transfer to a university upon graduating to pursue a Bachelor?s in Nursing and, ultimately, become a nurse†practitioner.†Capps was†formally recognized as an†"Outstanding Officer,"†as nominated by†the Alpha Mu Chi chapter and inducted into the District III Hall of Honor at the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Convention held in Waco recently, February 25-27.
Community college presidents or their designated nominators may submit no more than two nominations per campus for this award. An independent panel of judges considers outstanding academic rigor, grade point average, academic and leadership awards, and engagement in college and community service in the selection process.
?We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for their vote of confidence in community college students by investing in their futures,? said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. ?Their support is especially welcome during this challenging economic climate, as more and more community college students need additional resources to help them complete their degrees.?
?The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,? said J. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. ?We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals.?
Phi Theta Kappa, headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,285 chapters on college campuses in all 50 of the United States, U.S. territorial possessions and eight sovereign nations. More than 3 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 134,000 students inducted annually.†NTCC?s Alpha Mu Chi is a Top 100 Chapter internationally and is active at both the regional and international levels.
