Speeches Spring 22
Faryaal: Good evening everyone! It is an honor and a privilege to welcome you all to
Kappa Delta Pi’s Spring 2022 Honor Society Induction. My name is Faryaal Bokhari,
Chapter President of Kappa Delta Pi. I am a senior child study major with a concentration
in English and I am currently in my special education student teaching placement. I was
inducted as a member of Kappa Delta Pi in Fall of 2020 through a virtual induction
ceremony, so I am thrilled that our new inductees get to celebrate with their loved ones
today. Being a member of and now president of our esteemed honor society has definitely
been the highlight of my college career and I am excited to share the joy of our honor
society with our new inductees. I am joined today by our amazing advisors, Dr. Jennifer
Jones and Dr. Alyssa Soohoo, and our extremely hard working Vice President, Briana
Ferguson. The rest of my fantastic e-board, Treasurer Alyssa Brady, and Secretary Asma
Hussein, unfortunately couldn’t be here today. Together, our eboard meticulously went
through and handpicked the best of our applicants to induct into our society. The best of
whom are sitting here with us, ready to be inducted today. Our new inductees encompass
the ideals of our honor society, maintained a high overall 3.5 GPA, and have proven
themselves as great future educators. With that being said, I would like to introduce Vice
President, Briana Ferguson, to say a few words as well.
Briana:
Asma:
Alyssa:“Hi I am Alyssa Brady and I am a senior Mathematics Adolescence Education
major. I have been a member of Kappa Delta Pi since the Fall of 2019 and have had the
honor of being treasurer for Kappa Delta Pi since the Fall of 2020. My time here has been
a wonderful experience and I encourage our new inductees to get involved in our
fundraisers and other activities, and you will find it enhances your college experience as
it did mine. I also encourage you to consider running for a position on the executive
board in the future. I wish you all the best in your college career and as a member of
Kappa Delta Pi.“
President (Me): Thank you Briana for those kind words. Now, I would like to speak
about the history of our chapter, Alpha Theta Omega, here at St. Joseph’s college.
In 1909 the Education Club at the University of Illinois was founded by Dr.
William Chandler Bagle and four other students. It was their hope to form an association
with another undergraduate honor society in education, Pi Kappa Mu. Since it limited its
membership to men, the leaders of the Education Club decided not to form a united
organization because they felt strongly that women belonged in it too. This Education
Club was transformed to Kappa Delta Pi in 1911.
Only 5 years later, a group of nuns from the sisters of St. Joseph’s would go on to
create a small college of only 12 students in Brooklyn. That over the last 100 years has
expanded into two campuses, with thousands of students, known for its impressive
education programs.
Just like the founders of Kappa Delta Pi, the founders of St. Joseph’s College
believed women belonged in education and created a college for them, in a world where
women were not welcomed or accepted into education. In a world, like today, educators
need to be advocates for all their students. If the founders of Kappa Delta Pi and of St.
Joseph’s College were not advocates for their female students, where would we be today?
As future educators it is our responsibility to always speak for our students and be
their voice. No matter their sex, creed, ability, or race, we are every student’s support and
advocate. In today’s world, we never know what to expect, but that does not mean that
we cant try our best to be prepared. The rigorous curriculum here at St. Joseph’s College
in both the Child Study and Adolescent Education programs are preparing and giving us
the skills we need to educate, protect, and promote our students. Now, as members of
Kappa Delta Pi, we will have another resource to help us better ourselves to be better
educators.
One need that transpires time is that we must always be there for our students in
every way that we can. Our current and future students need us to not only educate but to
hear them out and give them a voice, when they feel they can’t be heard.
President (Me): Now I would like to introduce Dr. Alyssa Soohoo and Dr. Jennifer Jones
and invite them to add a few words if they would like!