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Four ���ϲ����� juniors were inducted last spring into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious honor society, a testament to their academic achievement and an honor that typically occurs during a student’s senior year.

Mira Fitch ’26, Daisy Martinez-Jimenez ’26, Sara Fritz ’26 and Rony Dahdal ’26 were selected for early induction based on their academic excellence across a broad liberal arts and sciences curriculum, intellectual maturity, scholarly potential, and accomplishments beyond their major fields.

Early induction also provides opportunities for scholarships and fellowships offered through Phi Beta Kappa, leadership positions within the chapter, and expanded professional and academic networks.

“When evaluating juniors for Phi Beta Kappa induction, we are not solely interested in those who meet the eligibility requirements — we are interested in those who have gone above and beyond to demonstrate ‘breadth and depth’ in their commitment to the liberal arts and sciences,” said Anthony Rizzuto, associate professor of chemistry and president of ���ϲ�����’s Eta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. “That means junior inductees typically have multiple majors and minors across ���ϲ����� College, the College of Arts and Sciences departments, conducted undergraduate research and have completed far beyond the math and foreign language coursework necessary to just make them eligible.”

Sixty-one ���ϲ����� students overall were inducted in April into Phi Beta Kappa, which has established over 290 chapters at colleges and universities in the United States. Each year, the top 10% of arts and sciences graduates at these institutions are invited for membership.

“These four students serve as role models on campus, showing what it means to balance intellectual curiosity, academic integrity and service,” Rizzuto said. “Their distinction also brings visibility to the university when they pursue fellowships, graduate programs, or other opportunities that highlight the strength of our community.”

Mira Fitch ‘26

Fitch, a political science and statistics major from Lewisville, North Carolina, and a Lumen Prize recipient, said she was surprised and honored to learn of her induction as a junior.

“It is wonderful that Phi Beta Kappa recognizes intellectual curiosity and desire for learning beyond one’s major, even as a junior,” Fitch said. “Recognition through Phi Beta Kappa feels like an honor for my hard work and dedication to my education. A liberal arts education has been essential to my academic journey. I have a wide variety of intellectual interests and access to in-depth learning about all my interests has only deepened my curiosity.”

Fitch said that she has had several meaningful experiences during her time at ���ϲ�����, including conducting legal research for her Lumen Prize on juvenile transfer — the process through which youth are tried as adults in the criminal court system — and analyzing the factors that contribute to those decisions. She also studied aboard and sang in the university choir at Deustuko Unibertsitatea in Spain. After graduation, she plans to attend law school.

Daisy Martinez-Jimenez ‘26

Martinez-Jimenez, a public policy and economics major from Burlington, North Carolina, described her induction as a great achievement that allowed her to reflect on her academic journey at ���ϲ�����.

“After I learned I would be recognized a year early, it made me pause and think about the effort and my success in navigating academics, even with courses I was initially nervous about,” said Martinez-Jimenez, a member of the Odyssey Program and recipient of the Douglas and Edna Truitt Noiles ’44 Scholarship. “I have immense gratitude for my professors who have helped me with this achievement.

“From the Department of Political Science and Public Policy, to the Department of Economics, I have found so many professors that serve as my mentors, who have pushed me towards new opportunities and who encourage me when I am doubtful.”

After graduation, Martinez-Jimenez plans to pursue a career in policy research, analysis and advocacy at a nonprofit before earning a master’s degree in public policy or economics.

Sara Fritz ‘26

Fritz, an international and global studies and economics major from West Hartford, Connecticut, said that Phi Beta Kappa will help her with her career endeavors after graduation.

“A liberal arts education was always important to me since no one truly knows what they can excel in until they try it,” Fritz said. “Coming to college, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in and through our liberal arts education, I was able to figure out I had many interests, and I could explore all of them. Phi Beta Kappa represents a support system with ���ϲ����� professors that I know believe in me academically and personally.”

She shared that she has made many impactful relationships with her professors while at ���ϲ����� and Phi Beta Kappa has allowed her to meet more faculty within ���ϲ����� College, the College of Arts and Sciences.

“At the chapter meeting this fall, I gained insight into what Phi Beta Kappa really values, which is sponsoring education and promoting excellence,” Fritz said. “This also allowed me to meet more professors and create connections with them. I have enjoyed taking classes with every one of my professors I have had, and I owe where I end up to each one of them.”

Fritz said she hopes to work for a nonprofit as a sustainable economic developer following graduation or receive a Fulbright scholarship to teach in Thailand.

Rony Dahdal ‘26

Dahdal, a triple major in computer science, mathematics and philosophy, from Wake Forest, North Carolina and a Goldwater Scholar and Lumen Scholar, was grateful for the opportunity to be inducted into the chapter as a junior as it was a reminder of the continued support from his mentors at ���ϲ�����.

“I recall the induction ceremony, and how, now more than ever, the pursuit of knowledge is one of the fundamental ways we can improve the well-being of others,” Dahdal said. “My recognition by Phi Beta Kappa was, and still is, an encouraging push to continue working towards my future as a researcher.”

He noted that the liberal arts exposed him to a variety of subjects at a high-level and allowed him to ask big questions within a diverse set of academic perspectives.

“Phi Beta Kappa’s mission to honor and promote the importance of the liberal arts is aligned with the ‘fully lived life’ they advocate for,” Dahdal said. “It was inspiring to be a part of Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. The honor has helped remind me of the importance within learning and unique truth-seeking that has led to pursue research in the first place.”

After graduation, Dahdal plans to pursue a Ph.D. focused on applied and reliable reasoning agents in fields such as smart healthcare and assisted agriculture.