For the first time in its history, Alpha Mu Chi, NTCC’s five-star, award-winning chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, will be published in Civic Scholar, a national journal of undergraduate research.
Judges selected the NTCC Phi Theta Kappa chapter project, “Folklore Unique to Northeastern Texas,” from among 416 entries from throughout the nation. Only 15 selected projects appear in the 2025 edition of Civic Scholar.
The chapter project included scholarly research on the topic of folklore, culminating in a “Folk-tober” celebration over four Mondays in October. The celebration included Choctaw Tribal dancers performing in the Whatley, a presentation from local author M. J. Hayes, and a presentation from leaders of the East Texas Rural Heritage and Ezekiel Airship Museum in Pittsburg. The chapter also attended the Annual Bigfoot Convention held in Jefferson. A QR code distributed at various events on campus and in the community led to the collection of 89 local tales. A few of those collected stories appear in a mini-documentary made possible, in part, by funding from Humanities Texas.
The journal article discussing the project in detail can be accessed at this link: Civic Scholar.
Learning the news, Chapter President Alison Majors commented, “I couldn't be more proud. It felt like all of the hard work and dedication meant something. Knowing that all our hard work had paid off made me incredibly proud of everyone I worked with and the efforts my team had made. I truly am grateful for the wonderful team I had and can't wait to see what's in Alpha Mu Chi's future.”
Chapter co-advisor for Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta English honor society, and a folklore expert, Athena Hayes, noted, "I am so proud of our students. It is incredible for them to have worked on such a scholarly endeavor at this level. Folklore at its heart is not just about stories; it is about the history, values, culture of the people who still tell and remember those stories—whether they are true, untrue, or a mix of both. It was wonderful to work with our students in the preservation and celebration of this area's rich mythic history."
Principal chapter officers involved in the project included Alison Majors (Chapter President), Emily Hamlin (Vice President of Honors in Action, who spearheaded the project), Vanessajane Bayna, Mary-Faith Wilson, Noah Pettey, Skylar Hodson, Lochlan Scott, Gabin Desplats, and Sarah Dierflinger. Numerous other chapter members and individuals contributed to making the project a success. Chapter advisors who facilitated the project include Dr. Melissa Fulgham, Dr. Maryna Svirska-Otero, and Athena Hayes. Key collaborators on campus included Sigma Kappa Delta English Honor Society and Student Services.
The mini-documentary produced as a result of last year’s project will be showcased at an upcoming fall premiere in connection with this year’s chapter project, which involves collecting 40 stories to highlight the role a community college plays in a community and to commemorate the college’s 40th anniversary.
