After being established three years ago, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø's chapter of Tri-Alpha has welcomed an outstanding 189 inductees to the honors society.
On April 14, students from ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø’s North Benson and Bellarmine campuses were inducted into the Gamma Omega chapter of Tri-Alpha (Alpha Alpha Alpha), a national honors society for first-generation students. This year’s ceremony was extra special, celebrating the first newsBellarmine and graduate students to be inducted.
Jason Smith, PhD, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and assistant philosophy professor, currently oversees the Tri-Alpha chapter at the University and reflected on the adversities that first-gen students face. “First-gen students haven't benefitted from having the way paved for them in terms of navigating the many challenges of attending college, and this can often result in seeing college as a kind of foreign land to which we don't really belong,” said Dr. Smith, “it is all the more fitting, then, to recognize these students for their outstanding academic achievements, and squarely in line with our broader Jesuit mission of making a newseducation accessible and inclusive."
Tri-Alpha member Natalia Adamski ’26, a finance and accounting double major with minors in business analytics and philosophy, presented a heartfelt speech to the new Tri-Alpha inductees. “As first-generation college students, we carry with us not just our own hopes but the dreams of those who came before us,” said Natalia, “in each of your college journeys, you have shown that you do not give up. You’ve turned uncertainty into motivation, and challenges into growth.”
Mishal Qureshi ’26, founder and president of the First Gen Stags Club, double majoring in accounting and finance with a minor in accounting analytics, congratulated the new inductees and shared her outlook on the first-gen community. “I challenge you not to be perfect, but to be proud. To your own story. To speak the truth. To extend a hand to the next first-gen student who needs a guide, a cheerleader, or just someone who gets it”, said Mishal, “tonight, we shine a light on your success, but the real legacy is what you’ll do next with your brilliance, your degree, and your voice.”
