Fourteen representatives of the Coffeyville Community College Eta Gamma Chapter were among the approximately four thousand members attending the 95th annual Phi Theta Kappa Convention in San Jose, California, April 3-7.  Sky Birdcreek, Jessika Hamrick, Eric Mueller, and Advisor Linda McFate served as chapter delegates to the Phi Theta Kappa Leadership.  The three students will serve as Eta Gamma officers for 2013-14.  Other members spent Thursday in San Francisco researching the chapter’s Honors in Action Project, “How has access to resources such as of oil, gas, and water, affected competition among nations and regions of the world?”  The students visited the California Headquarters of KickStart, where Michael Mills explained the innovation and usage of the hip operated water pump which has been used in developing countries to double a family’s per capita income.  The students also visited the German Consulate where they interviewed Bernard Koepp on water issues in Germany.

While attending the convention, the CCC members had an opportunity to visit mini sessions and educational forums on topics ranging from “A Graduate Degree:  Your Stepping Stone to Leadership, Service, and Success” to “Beyond Google:  How to Research Anything.”  Eta Gamma members Aaron Neely and Kacie Serrault presented an educational forum, “Relay For Life:  Conquering Cancer One Step at a Time” sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  Eta Gamma vice president of scholarship Caitlin Shepard served as Kansas Region flag bearer during the first general session and Eric Mueller, Eta Gamma President-Elect served as chapter voting delegate.  Aaron Neely, newly elected Kansas Region Vice President of Alumni Relations and Eric Mueller, Kansas Region Vice President of Communication, served on the officer board at the Kansas regional meeting.  One hundred three four-year colleges participated in the 2013 senior college transfer fair where Eta Gamma members had the opportunity to meet with representatives of these four-year universities which offer transfer scholarships for Phi Theta Kappa members.

Keynote speakers for the convention included:  Geoff Colvin, editor and columnist for FORTUNE addressing “Talent is Overrated:  What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else” and spots revolutionary, social justice pioneer, and entrepreneur Billie Jean King who spoke on “Pressure is a Privilege and Other Lessons in Business and in Life.”

At the awards gala, the CCC chapter was named a Distinguished Chapter placing in the top 31 of 1,300 chapters.  Eta Gamma also won an award for their Honors in Action Project while Aaron Neely received the Distinguished Officer Award and Eric Mueller received the Outstanding Chapter Member Award. Only thirty awards were presented in each category.  All chapter members participated in the gratitude banquet for alumni and friends.

Before returning to Coffeyville, the members toured the historic Winchester Mystery House.  In 1884, a wealthy widow named Sarah Winchester began a construction project of such magnitude that it was to occupy the lives of carpenters and craftsmen until her death thirty-eight years later.  The Victorian mansion, designed and built by the Winchester Rifle heiress, is filled with so many unexplained oddities that it is known as the Winchester Mystery House.