The Phi Beta Kappa ceremony inducting 200 students took place at Varsity Hall in Union South. Photo: Taylor Wolfram
On Saturday, April 15, 200 University of Wisconsin–Madison Letters & Science undergraduates were inducted to the Phi Beta Kappa (ΦΒΚ) academic society, in a ceremony at Varsity Hall in Union South with 300 attending.
UW–Madison’s ΦΒΚ chapter, founded in 1899, seeks to honor students who rigorously explore the sciences, arts and humanities.
L&S Dean Eric M. Wilcots led the opening procession and welcome. L&S Associate Dean Susan Zaeske shared the history of ΦΒΚ in her remarks. ΦΒΚ stands for philosophia biou kubernetes, which translates to “the love of wisdom is the helmsman of life.”
In addition to the induction of new undergraduate members, the ceremony also honored three individuals for their contributions to UW–Madison:
- Pilar Gauthier, a member of the UW–Madison chapter of the Edward A. Bouchet Society and a PhD candidate in Counseling Psychology with Geropsychology Emphasis, accepted ΦΒΚ’s graduate student induction invitation.
- Harry Brighouse, Mildred Fish Harnack Professor of Philosophy and Carol Dickson Bascom Professor of the Humanities, received the chapter’s 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award. He received 14 student nominations for inspiring and challenging his students in classroom discussions. Professor Brighouse was also inducted into the society at this time.
- Aaron Bird Bear, Inaugural Director of the UW-Madison Office of Tribal Relations, was inducted and recognized for his work highlighting the history, present, and future of the First Nations of Wisconsin.
Inductees excel in all areas of study, ranging from physics to anthropology, and they must have a cumulative GPA of 3.80 or above and meet math, language and breadth requirements.
A committee of faculty and staff review the student record for nomination into the chapter. Inductees have a love for learning in multiple areas of study at the intermediate and advanced levels, exploring far beyond their major area of study at UW-Madison.
ΦΒΚ’s class of 2023 inductees are:
Alexandra Alberts, Oconomowoc, Wis.
Hannah Alpert, Mill Valley, Calif.
Brody Andes, Verona, Wis.
Gabriela Avila Fioranelli, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Eva Bacskai, Saint Paul, Minn.
Benjamin Baharlias, Madison, Wis.
Phoebe Barnes, Eagan, Minn.
Annika Baur, Sheboygan, Wis.
Sam Bebel, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Cole Bell, Madison, Wis.
Charlotte Bellamy, Columbus, Ohio
Zoe Bendoff, Northbrook, Ill.
Abigail Berkowitz, Northbrook, Ill.
Chloe Bonchonsky, Northport, N.Y.
Elizabeth Brandt, Corte Madera, Calif.
Elizabeth Campbell, Forest Lake, Minn.
Max Canestraro, Stillwater, Minn.
Yuxin Cao, Shenzhen, China
Ryan Caracci, Kimberly, Wis.
Carston Chancellor, Neenah, Wis.
Juliet Chang, Sheboygan, Wis.
Kendall Chraplewski, Claremont, Calif.
Ellie Clements, Milwaukee, Wis.
Jos Comiskey, Williams Bay, Wis.
Ava Conti, Gibsonia, Penn.
Reilly Coon, Woodruff, Wis.
Ronan Couch, Rochester, Minn.
Kwynn Crothers, Sun Prairie, Wis.
Erik Daniels, Rochester, Minn.
William Darbyshire, Slough, United Kingdom
Alexandra Dayan, Highland Park, Ill.
Ellie Decker, Davenport, IA
Claudia Delgado, West Salem, Wis.
Paulina Delmont, Minneapolis, Minn.
Ria Dhingra, Madison, Wis.
Emily Distler, Stacy, Minn.
Jack Dong, Shijiazhuang, China
James Dowd, Waukesha, Wis.
Collin Dowson, Tomah, Wis.
Zach Dyar, Madison, Wis.
Lilly Dye, Cottage Grove, Wis.
Sarah Egan, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Rose Eisenmenger, Minneapolis, Minn.
Tonio Ermakoff, Madison, Wis.
Sam Fagan, Verona, Wis.
Michael Foley, Oshkosh, Wis.
Kennedy Francois, Middleton, Wis.
Tovah Frockt, Louisville, KY
Sydney Garelick, Chicago, Ill.
Jesse Garwood, Burlington, Wis.
Francesca Giancola, Barrington, Ill.
Sophia Giustino, Issaquah, Wash.
Maya Greenberg, Milwaukee, Wis.
Grant Griffitts, Saint Paul, Minn.
Longjie Guo, Ganzhou China
Jess Harlan, Custer, Wis.
Clarence Harley, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Marianna Helgeson, Shorewood, Minn.
Fritz Hofmann, Mount Horeb, Wis.
Rachel Hornig, Roslyn, N.Y.
Maya Horwitch, Northbrook, Ill.
Mary Hsu, Middleton, Wis.
Ilana Hudson, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Sophie Hutchison, Clarendon Hills, Ill.
Aimee Johnson, Gilberts, Ill.
Owen Jonas, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Levi Kasten, New Glarus, Wis.
Samantha Kaveggia, Waunakee, Wis.
Marina Kerekes, Waterville, Minn.
Perrin King, Plymouth, Minn.
Cayden Kirkpatrick, Fitchburg, Wis.
Grace Klimek, Nashotah, Wis.
Kaitlin Knocke, Sheboygan, Wis.
Dennis Kobuzi, Park Ridge, Ill.
Katherine Koehler, Middlebury, Vt.
Chase Kozak, Saint Paul, Minn.
Lauren Krist, Port Washington, Wis.
Lucy Kromer, Alexandria, Va.
Claire Kuehn, Madison, Wis.
Josslyne Kunz, Cedarburg, Wis.
Jacob Larget, Madison, Wis.
Aidan Lau, Saint Paul, Minn.
Samantha Leib, Highland Park, Ill.
Brad Li, Waunakee, Wis.
Shijie Li, Jinan, China
Andrew Liang, Milwaukee, Wis.
Gavin Liang, Chongqing, China
Jonah Liu, Naperville, Ill.
Samuel Lokken, Green Bay, Wis.
Megan Lolling, Prior Lake, Minn.
Juilin Lu, Suzhou 215121,
Ann Marie Lunney, Sun Prairie, Wis.
Abdullah Marei, Dubai,
Gianna Marlow, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.
Alex Martin, Nashville, Tenn.
Noelle McGah, Madison, Wis.
Audrey McGrory, Phoenixville, Penn.
Haoming Meng, Shihezi, China
Lauren Meyer, Chappaqua, N.Y.
Bailey Meyers, Wilmette, Ill.
Travis Miller, Portage, Wis.
Sawyer Mirus, Madison, Wis.
Greta Missbach, Green Bay, Wis.
Mary Moczulewski, New Berlin, Wis.
Rick Moe, Mount Pleasant, Wis.
Skylar Montgomery, Madison, Miss.
Aiden Moore, Kenosha, Wis.
Justice Moore, Madison, Wis.
Amelia Moser, Manawa, Wis.
Noelle Mullen, Milwaukee, Wis.
Erin Murdoch, Winnetka, Ill.
Julia Myers, Severna Park, MD
Tapasya Nangpal, Belle Mead, N.J.
Anna Nelson, Hudson, Wis.
Hayden Nelson, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Clara Nemr, Middleton, Wis.
Kyle Neuser, Cross Plains, Wis.
Hanna Noughani, Madison, Wis.
Shyam Nuggehalli, Saratoga, Calif.
Megan O’Brien, Stevens Point, Wis.
Libby Oimoen, Barneveld, Wis.
Emily Otten, Brookfield, Wis.
Riya Patel, Orland Park, Ill.
Dhruba Paul, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Aldana Perez, Milwaukee, Wis.
Maria Pesick, Wales, Wis.
Lekha Pillarisetti, San Ramon, Calif.
Olivia Pineda, Chevy Chase, Md.
Molly Pistono, Prairie du Sac, Wis.
Griffin Polce, Waunakee, Wis.
Merinah Popp, Waukesha, Wis.
Hans Purisch, Lake Mills, Wis.
Ashling Quinn, St. Paul, Minn.
Daniel Raske, Deerfield, Ill.
Liam Reinicke, Platteville, Wis.
Benjamin Reuter, Saint Cloud, Minn.
Joyce Riphagen, Kenosha, Wis.
Margaret Rogers, Verona, Wis.
Zaria Romero, Rochester, Minn.
Claire Salmi, Chanhassen, Minn.
Gabe Sanders, Long Beach, Calif.
Andrew Santamarina, Cincinnati, Ohio
Sarah Scalzo, New Berlin, Wis.
Cosette Schefelker, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Paul Schindler, Fitchburg, Wis.
Isabel Schmitt, Milwaukee, Wis.
Ana Schneider, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Max Schoolderman, Duluth, Minn.
Erin Seifert, Pepin, Wis.
Amanda Shalit, Grayslake, Ill.
Ella Shapiro, New York, N.Y.
Kya Shepard, Malibu, Calif.
Steven Shi, Dalian, China
Yuhan Shi, Xi’an, China
Matthew Silverman, Livingston, N.J.
Lauren Smith, Milwaukee, Wis.
Jack Snider, Waupaca, Wis.
Alexander Solberg, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Russell Spence, Minneapolis, Minn.
Kimberly Stathas, De Pere, Wis.
Ryan Stevenson, Cottage Grove, Wis.
Ryan Strandberg, Neenah, Wis.
Gahan Sudhir, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Janani Sundar, Brookfield, Wis.
Dane Sutton, Stoughton, Wis.
Michelle Tan, Saint Paul, Minn.
Megan Thomason, Palos Park, Ill.
Zehra Topbas, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Kenna Tripple, Glenview, Ill.
Frederic Vorlop, Milwaukee, Wis.
Audrey Wachter, Brooklyn, NY
Lily Wagner, Westfield, Wis.
James Wald, Minneapolis, Minn.
Catherine Walsh, Saint Louis, Mo.
Madeline Walth, Minneapolis, Minn.
Emily Wang, New Berlin, Wis.
Georgia Williams, Waukesha, Wis.
Mara Wisnner, Highland Park, Ill.
Greer Wittenberg, Madison, Wis.
Zoe Wittenwyler, Madison, Wis.
Natalie Wolkoff, Wilmette, Ill.
Nicholas Wright, St. Paul, Minn.
Erin Wruk, Madison, Wis.
Tonglu Yang, Taiyuan, 14
Carl Youel, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Yanni Zhang, Zibo, China
Maija Zitzewitz, Burnsville, Minn.
Paula Filios, Madison, Wis.
Sarah Frickensmith, Mount Pleasant, Wis.
Gene Grade, Waunakee, Wis.
Kathryn Huseth, Verona, Wis.
Hailey Kuhn, Waukesha, Wis.
Will Mandel, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Abdullah Marei, Dubai,
Meg Mercy, Madison, Wis.
Anna Michalski, Fitchburg, Wis.
Sydney Nauman, San Diego, Calif.
Madeeha Rizvi, North Oaks, Minn.
Katie Rushmann, Colfax, Wis.
Aryan Sharma, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates