Honor society inducts Paula Wasserman

Fordham University student Paula Wasserman of greater Riverdale was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society.

She is among about 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter.

Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors 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.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann, who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. The society has chapters on more than 325 campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines.

NYIT student honors and graduation

New York Institute of Technology is proud to recognize Nicholas Esquea from greater Riverdale as one of the students who help to lead the university’s many clubs and student organizations. Esquea serves on the executive board for Caucus of Designing Games in Emerging Technology.

Ilan Cohen-Vasquez of greater Riverdale was among the New York Institute of Technology students who received degrees as spring graduates of the Class of 2023.

Cohen-Vasquez completed New York Tech’s digital art, BFA program.

New York Institute of Technology’s six schools and colleges offer undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and other professional degree programs in in-demand disciplines including computer science, data science, and cybersecurity; biology, health professions, and medicine; architecture and design; engineering; IT and digital technologies; management; and energy and sustainability.

A nonprofit, independent, private, and nonsectarian institute of higher education founded in 1955, it welcomes nearly 8,000 students worldwide. The university has campuses in New York City and Long Island, New York; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as programs around the world. More than 114,000 alumni are part of an engaged network of physicians, architects, scientists, engineers, business leaders, digital artists, and healthcare professionals.