On Nov. 28, three Lurleen B. Wallace Community College dual-enrollment students from Luverne, along with nine other traditional students from Crenshaw County, were inducted into the Alpha Beta Eta Chapter of the international honor society, Phi Theta Kappa.

Inductees Micaiah June and Laerykah Harrell both attend Luverne High School, where they are seniors. Sommer Cornelious is a senior at Crenshaw Christian Academy.

According to LBW Director of Student Recruitment Heather Owens, honor society membership rewards academic accomplishment and provides member opportunities not otherwise available to them.

“Membership offers students opportunities to engage in different programs, like honors leadership and service programming,” Owens said. “One of the biggest draws is scholarships. Members can apply for Phi Theta Kappa scholarships to help them towards their Associate’s degree. That doesn’t have to be just for traditional students, but is also open to our dual enrollment students, regardless of academic standing.”

To qualify for membership, students must have completed at least 12 hours of coursework toward a degree program and generally, a cumulative 3.5 grade point average.

Dual enrollment students invited to join meet the same requirements, Owens explained, and usually pursue credit in general studies courses.

Cornelious, who is working towards an Associates in Science while completing high school, said she has worked extra hard to maintain a high GPA.

“I have always put a lot of time and effort into my grades because I wanted to have a high GPA,” she said. “When I started dual enrollment, it was a shock at first because when you add that extra couple of classes [to a high school schedule], it really makes a difference. It takes dedication to keep your grades good with everything you have going on.”

Sommer’s mom, Ellen, said she was impressed by her daughter’s accomplishment.

“It’s impressive, because they have to maintain their grades for college courses, and they’re in high school,” Ellen said. “It’s their senior year and they have social commitments and extracurricular activities on top of taking college level courses and maintaining their GPA.”

The ceremony was held on LBW’s campus for 72 students attending classes at the college’s Andalusia, Opp, and Luverne sites.

Traditional students from Crenshaw County who were inducted to the honor society include Elizabeth Bush, Katrina Cook, Kara Foreman, Lauren Hudson, and Lucas Salter from Brantley; Billie Byrd from Dozier; Anna Morgan from Luverne; and Jordyn Bagents and Alana Killough from Rutledge.