UB Students Inducted to Prestigious Academic Honor Society

Published April 25, 2024

A select group of University at Buffalo students will join a cast of famous members like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amanda Gorman, Peyton Manning, President Eisenhower and President Roosevelt, Mark Twain and more during this year’s Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) National Honor Society induction ceremony. 

Phi Beta Kappa is widely considered the highest general academic honor an American undergraduate can receive. This year, a diverse and talented group of talented and accomplished UB students joined the ranks. The 2024 class includes nearly 100 UB students.

"Being inducted into PBK signifies the recognition of the importance of my work. As a PBK member, I must remain true to myself, nurture creativity, and strive to embody the finest version of who I am. With the uncertainty of what lies ahead, we have security in knowing that we have a community in PBK," says Taynia Brown, a history major and 2024 inductee. “The reason why I wanted to be a part of PBK is more nuanced than just the prestige it provides and its support for the Liberal Arts and Sciences. It's not just the title; it's a reminder of why I started my academic journey in the first place,” she adds.

The new UB members were officially inducted into the prestigious academic honor society on April 24 in the Center for the Arts screening room on UB’s North Campus. The induction to Phi Beta Kappa is a testament to a student’s exceptional achievement in the liberal arts and sciences.

“Something that I really value about Phi Beta Kappa membership is that it reflects being a well-rounded thinker,” says Mark Seery, president of UB’s Phi Beta Kappa and professor in the Department of Psychology. “Yes, students need to have an exceptional GPA in order to be invited to join, but it is more than that. They need to have actively pursued and achieved a true liberal arts education, with the depth that comes from intensive study in a major, but also breadth.”

Students are nominated to join under rigorous guidelines. In addition to being an undergraduate student who completed 90 hours of diverse breadth and depth coursework with a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, students must also demonstrate an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language.

“This year’s class of inductees is, quite simply, outstanding,” says Seery. “I know what UB students are capable of, and this year’s Phi Beta Kappa class does not disappoint.”

Matthew Alexander Agurto, Economics BA/MA, Political Science BA
Mashrafi Ahmed, History BA, Political Science BA
Madina Ulfat Alam, Health and Human Services/Early Childhood Education Combination BA
Geffrey Alpers, Political Science BA, Music Performance Minor
Ismail Attuwaybi, Biological Sciences BA, Psychology BA
Abdelsalam Badr, Biomedical Science BS
Jacob Barry, Biological Sciences BA
Katherine Marie Blake, Environmental Geosciences BS
Salvatore Dennis Brancato, Economics BA, Political Science BA
Taynia Atallia Brown, History BA, Law Minor
Erim Hamdi Buyuk, Psychology BA, Philosophy BA, Neuroscience Minor
Sebastian Richard Calo-Somoza, Computer Science BS
Caitlyn N. Cannon, Traditional Nursing BS, Social Sciences Interdisciplinary BA
Ricardo Andre Castillo, Law BA, Criminology BA
Ying Ting Kate Chan, Communication BA
Kartike Chaurasia, Computer Science BS
Liam Chonka, Psychology BA
Joseph Anthony Cook, Psychology BA, Global Gender Studies Minor
Kelsey Coppola, Chemistry BA, Env Geosciences BS
William James Costoso, English BA, Computer Science Minor
Katie Elizabeth Daugherty, Media Study BA, American Sign Language Minor; Communication Minor
Keishla Davila-Otero, Linguistics BA, Asian Studies BA
Emily Diorio, Electrical Engineering BS, Physics BS
Bella DiGregorio, Health and Human Services BA
Maura Dungan, Biological Sciences BS
Gavin Westley Ellowitz, Geographic Information Sciences BS
Elizabeth Fish, Speech and Hearing Sciences BA, Psychology BA, Spanish Minor
Dainaira Goldthwait, Environmental Geosciences BS
Aria Grisham, Public Health BS
Yinger Guo, Biological Sciences BA
Allison Hanna, Biochemistry BS
Cindy Caroline Harjono, Psychology BA, Business Administration BS
Juliana Marion Hassouna, Dance BFA, Communication BA
Addison Emily Houseman, Linguistics BA, Spanish BA
Sonny Hsia, Health and Human Services BA, Psychology BS
Zanaya S. Hussain, Urban and Public Policy Studies BA, Social Science Interdisciplinary BA, Chinese Minor
Noor Ismail, Biological Sciences BS, Business Administration BS
Noah John Jenkins, Mathematics BA, Political Science BA, Economics BA
Janat Kalmakova, Criminology BA, Sociology BA
Josephine Kayla Jeananne Kavanagh, Anthropology BA, Spanish BA
Durga Khot, Social Science Interdisciplinary BA, Political Science BA, Chinese Minor
Katherine Kremer, Psychology BS, Music BA
Amy Lin, Biomedical Science BS
Jessica Lisi, Health and Human Services/ Early Childhood Education Combination BA
Nathaniel Luh, Media Study BA
Najum Malik, Biological Sciences BA
Hamid Manzar, Pharmacology and Toxicology BS
Jack Marso, Biomedical Science BS
Amy Louise Maslin, Psychology BA, Journalism Certificate
Kallie McKenzie, Biomedical Science BS, Spanish BA
Ahmya Gabriell McMillan, Legal Studies BA, Sociology BA, African - American Studies Minor
Sofia Miller, Biomedical Science BS
Laibah Mir, Philosophy, Politics and Economics BA
Patrick J. Mohr, Biomedical Science BS
Nicholas Mori, Linguistics BA, Spanish BA
Ardian Muriqi, Computer Science BA
Crystal Phillys Murphy, Studio Art BA
Amanda Newbury, Electrical Engineering BS, Mathematics BA
Anoop Nilam, Biomedical Engineering BS, Mathematics BA
Callahan Emily O'Shea, Global Affairs BA, Chinese Minor; Communication Minor
Emma Rachel Ogilvie, Biological Sciences BS
Rebecca Ortiz, Mathematics BA, Economics BA
Joselyn Osorio, Speech & Hearing Sciences BA
Leah Ann Perry, History BA, Law Minor
Sebastian Xavier Phillips, Public Health BS, Traditional Nursing BS
Shweta Chidambaram Pillai, Biological Sciences BS
Parker Anne Polston, Public Health BS/Epidemiology MS
Andrew Presman, Computer Science BS
Garrett Sharp Price, Psychology BS, Mathematics BA
Amanda Rose Puchalski, English BA, Creative Writing Certificate, American Sign Language Minor
Rachel Elizabeth Ragonese, Global Affairs BA, Political Science BA, Media Study BA
Hannah Violet Rashad, English BA, Law Minor
Jessica Claire Reale, Social Science Interdisciplinary BA, French Minor; Spanish Minor
Bryan Richard Renzoni, Biochemistry BS
Ryan Jacob Rohrbach, Social Science Interdisciplinary BA, Political Science BA
Ian Roma, Political Science BA
Rachel Esther Sanyu, Pharmacology and Toxicology BS
Abigail Lynn Schaal, Criminology BA, Political Science BA, History Minor; Spanish Minor
Hewad Shaheed, Biomedical Science BS
Zachary Shannon, History BA, Political Science BA
Braedon Sidor, Speech & Hearing Sciences BA
Harbir Singh, Psychology BA, Biological Sciences BA
Daniel Stojanovski, Biomedical Science BS
Emily Rose Sweeney, Criminology BA, Psychology BA
Samantha Elizabeth Syracuse, Psychology BS, Criminology BA
Ethan Tong, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology BS, Biological Sciences BS, Statistics Minor
Mishel Tsoncheva, Psychology BA, Addiction Studies Minor; Counseling Minor; Sociology Minor
Bat-Ider Tumenbayar, Pharmacology and Toxicology BS
Daniel Dimitrov Valkanov, Biomedical Science BS
Krystal Vealey, Biological Sciences BS
Mia Lee Veefkind, Environmental Studies BS, Japanese Studies Minor
Isabela Walsh, Political Science BA, Global Gender Studies BA
Liberty Wendt, Health and Human Services/Early Childhood Education Combination BA
Nicholas West, Physics BS
Michael Peter Xenos, Philosophy, Politics and Economics BA, Global Affairs BA, Law Minor
Zixuan Yang, Biological Sciences BA, Japanese Studies Minor
Stephanie Yuen, Mechanical Engineering BS, Mathematics BA
Xin Zhang, Political Science BA 

Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa membership is touted as a mark of distinction recognized by graduate schools and employers throughout the country. According to Phi Beta Kappa, the organization is “uniquely equipped to advocate for the value and benefits of liberal arts and sciences education.”

For more information about UB’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, visit the College’s website.