Phi Beta Kappa inducts 134 seniors in 2020

The Alpha Chapter of Wisconsin Phi Beta Kappa has granted membership to 134 University of Wisconsin–Madison students, announced Professor Catherine Stafford, president of the chapter.

These initiates embody excellence in both depth and breadth of study in the liberal arts and sciences.  Approximately 5 percent of the Letters & Science senior class is inducted into the liberal arts and science scholar society.

Psychology professor C. Shawn Green is the 2020 Phi Beta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. Student nominator Zachary Demko (class of 2021) said, “Considering his creative application of empirically-tested teaching methods, his attentive mentorship, and his engaging facilitation of lab meetings… Professor Green possesses all the attributes necessary for the Phi Beta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award.” 

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic society honoring the liberal arts and sciences. Founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, ΦΒΚ stands for freedom of inquiry and expression, disciplinary rigor, breadth of intellectual perspective, the cultivation of skills of deliberation and ethical reflection, the pursuit of wisdom, and the application of the fruits of scholarship and research in practical life.

Phi Beta Kappa has 290 chapters at leading colleges and universities in the United States.  The Society sponsors activities to advance the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences in higher education and in society at large. The UW–Madison chapter was founded in 1899 under the leadership of Edward Birge.

Psychology professor Seth Pollak will lead the Madison chapter as president for the 2020-2021 year. During the 2019-2020 year graduating seniors Amanda Janquart (neurobiology, Spanish) and Lily Oberstein (journalism) served as undergraduate fellows. Laura Bunn (2020 M.A. Public Affairs) and Elizabeth Neary (Ph.D. student, Spanish) served as graduate fellows.

The 2020 inductees will be celebrated at the 2021 Phi Beta Kappa ceremony scheduled for April 17, 2021.

The inductees are:

Grace Albright,  Minneapolis, Minnesota

Andrew Allen,  Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota

Eva Anderson, Stoughton

Brendan Anderson, Hubertus

Olivia Anderson, Wauwatosa

Margaret Baker, Northbrook, Illinois

Kierin Barnett, Milwaukee

Ellen Bart,  Madison

Brenna Bartels, South Milwaukee

Lauren Bluhm, Mukwonago

Arielle Bordow, Milwaukee

John Brunn,  Rochester, Minnesota

Katie Brunner, West Allis

Mikayla Buford, Plainfield, Illinois

Samuel Buisman, Madison

Grace Carlson, Sussex

Yige Chen, Ningbo, China

Suk Young Cho, Iksan, South Korea

Jessica Corcoran, Prior Lake, Minnesota

Caroline Daniels, West Allis

Courtney Degen, Chicago

Michael DeLeers, Madison

Zachary Demko, Milwaukee

Allison Dentice, Hartford

Charlotte Dial, Eau Claire

Connie Do, Seoul, South Korea

Sarah Doughty, Waukesha

Laura Downer, Madison

Juliet Dupont, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Christopher DuPre, Griffin, Georgia

Joshua Dvorak, Wausau

Claire Eckerle, Madison

Patrick Egan, Western Springs, Illinois

Zachary Ellner, Milwaukee

Gabrielle Every, Suamico

Ryan Foley, Rochester, Minnesota

Samantha Galinson, Hopkins, Minnesota

Harry Garber, Westport, Connecticut

Erica Gelman, Glenview, Illinois

Zach Gestrich, Janesville

Alanna Goldman, Medford, New Jersey

Colin Guest, Brookfield

Morgan Gugger, Sartell, Minnesota

Maggie Guo, Shanghai, China

Lauren Hartman, North Mankato, Minnesota

Camila Hernandez Blanco, Milwaukee

Emily Hirsch, Columbus

Molly Hoferle, Verona

Lydia Hoffman, Wausau

Jubilee Hou, Fox Point

Sean Huth, Madison

Nicole Huth, Valparaiso, Indiana

Sophia Jain, Madison

Keisha Janisch, Prairie du Sac

Caroline Jeddeloh, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Margaret Johnson, Sun Prairie

Samantha Jones, Kirkland, Washington

Steven Kan, Tianjin, China

Nathan Kiraly, Oshkosh

Mike Kowalski, South Milwaukee

Jessica Kuzniewski, Waukesha

Andreas Kyrvasilis, Middleton

Emma Langer, Waukesha

Joel Lee, Madison

Noah Leibold, Madison

Katie Lewis, Orono, Minnesota

Shawn Li, Xiamen, China

Emily Loehr, Mount Calvary

Claire Manske, Wauwatosa

Isabel Marshall, North Bethesda, Maryland

Marwan McBride, Milwaukee

Avalon McDonald-Lewis, Stevens Point

Addison McGhee, West Bend

Max McLachlan, Milwaukee

Mari McPheron, Viroqua

Seamus McWilliams, Oregon

Alex Menzia, Sussex

Alyssa Meurer, Elm Grove

Henry Michaels, Chicago

Thomas Miller, Mequon

Kailey Mullane, Park Ridge, Illinois

Belle Nelson, Eldersburg, Maryland

Hadar Ohana, Fitchburg

Jacob O’Hearn, Maple Grove, Minnesota

Cooper Olson, Elm Grove

David Owen, Urbana, Illinois

Victoria Paige, Cedarburg

Maura Pallitta, Berkeley Heights , New Jersey

Lydia Panton, San Diego

Corey Pedersen, Verona

Angela Peterson, Mundelein, Illinois

Demitra Philosophos, Madison

Catherine Pinter, Spencer

Sydney Polzin, Whitefish Bay

William Raskopf, Oconomowoc

Ethan Richardson, Edgerton

Benjamin Rolsma, McFarland

Saige Ruleau, Crivitz

Cassandra Sanford, Madison

Claudia Schabes, Pewaukee

Lauren Schilling, Minocqua

Rebecca Schmitz, Fond du Lac

Ben Schulman, Highland Park, Illinois

Emmett Sexton, Saint Paul

Adam Shandonay, Appleton

Willem Sheetz-Ziegel, Rockville, Maryland

Caylee Silvers, Deerfield, Illinois

William Skalecki, Cedarburg

Emily Snelson, Appleton

Jinan Sous, Beloit

Mari Spitale, Edina, Minnesota

Skye Stanwich, Saint Louis, Missouri

Jessie Steckling, Oconomowoc

Joel Steinberg, Black Earth

Jenny Steinberg, Tucson, Arizona

Irene Stringer, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Elizabeth Sumiec, Sussex

Michelle Thomas, Dubai, UAE

Berit Thorson, Mahtomedi, Minnesota

Natalie Tufvesson, Minneapolis

Mohamed Wane, Madison

Jamie Wang, Kenosha

Victoria Wear, Mound, Minnesota

Penghai Wei, Shenzhen, China

Jacob Weiker, Roseville, Minnesota

Samantha Williams, Beaver Dam

Brock Wroblewski, McFarland

Chaolun Xu, Beijing, China

Thomas Yan, Guangzhou, China

Jiazhi Yang, Nanjing, China

Xiyu Yang, Guangzhou, China

Yingzi Zhang, Madison

Jichen Zhang, Beijing, China