Centenary revives national honor society chapter; initiates new members
SHREVEPORT, LA — On November 14, 2024, Centenary initiated 21 new members into its chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the National Leadership Honor Society, during a ceremony on campus at Brown Chapel. The College’s ODK chapter, the Beta Pi Circle, was founded in February 1949 and is one of the oldest ODK chapters in the nation but had not held an initiation since the COVID-19 pandemic.
ODK was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, by 15 student and faculty leaders. The founders formulated the idea that leadership of exceptional quality and versatility in college should be recognized, that representatives in all phases of college life should cooperate in worthwhile endeavors, and that outstanding students, faculty, and administrators should meet on a basis of mutual interest, understanding, and helpfulness. ODK was the first college honor society of a national scope to give recognition and honor for meritorious leadership and service in extracurricular activities and to encourage development of general campus citizenship. Since its founding, ODK has initiated over 340,000 members.
Lisa Johnson, assistant professor of accounting at Centenary’s Frost School of Business and a Centenary alumna, spearheaded the task of reactivating the College’s Beta Pi Circle.
“During my second year as a full-time faculty member, I realized that the circle had not been active since 2020-2021 due to the COVID pandemic,” said Johnson. “I was initiated into Omicron Delta Kappa when I was an undergraduate at Centenary and I remember it being such an honor (less than 5% of the student body are invited to join). The members of our Circle were leaders on campus across all areas - athletics, communications, academics, and the arts.”
As an ODK member, Johnson recognized the historical significance of Centenary’s chapter for both the College and the national honor society.
“The Beta Pi Circle of Centenary College was installed over 75 years ago and I couldn’t imagine it not existing on campus anymore,” explained Johnson. “I decided to contact the area representative of ODK last spring (2024) to see what would need to take place to ‘re-activate.’ After a lot of planning and hard work, the Circle now has 21 new members! My hope is that students will be empowered to reach their full potential and leave a lasting mark on Centenary’s campus and their communities.”
Johnson is serving as faculty advisor to the Beta Pi Circle along with fellow Centenary graduate Kennedy Wilcher, assistant professor of theatre. New members selected for ODK this year include:
- Alyssa Akers
- Savanna Arevalo
- Caroline Armagost
- Hailey Chiasson
- Destiny Gardner
- Isabella Giglio
- MacKenzie Grant
- Felix Kraus
- Clay Lewandowski
- Ethan Manwaring
- Ron Masti
- Madilyn McCrary
- Dr. Rebecca Murphy
- Daly Nagot
- Jordan Rainbolt
- Abigail Rinaudo
- Arionna Thomas
- Athena Vasquez
- Jude Williams
- Kai Young
- MaKayla Young
A photo gallery from the initiation ceremony is available at centenary.edu/photos.
ODK members can apply for scholarships for graduate or professional school, internships, and leadership programs. Students also have access to a national network of over 340,000 members. For more information about ODK, visit the national website at odk.org.