Honors College Student Wins National Phi Kappa Phi Grant

March 31, 2006

A sophomore history major recently became the second Indiana University of Pennsylvania student in the last two years to receive one of 38 national grants from Phi Kappa Phi national honor society for study abroad experiences.

Gina Russo, Lakewood, Colo., is a member of the Robert E. Cook Honors College. She is a tutor at IUP’s writing center and an IUP Student Ambassador.

In addition, Russo serves as an editor for The Endnote, IUP’s peer-reviewed history journal, a tutor at the Salvation Army and the piano accompanist for Bella Voce, a choral group that performs at local nursing homes.

The $1,000 grant will help her spend an entire academic year at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she will gain advanced knowledge to complement her concentration in Asian Studies.

“I’ve studied Chinese language here at IUP,” Russo said, “but the coursework is limited. I really look forward to building my cultural and language knowledge in China.”

Russo competed for the grant first at the university level, where IUP’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter leadership chose her application from all that were submitted by IUP students. Her application then moved to the national level and was selected as a winner in Phi Kappa Phi’s annual study abroad grant competition.

Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s largest honors society, was founded in 1897 and serves as a global network of scholars and professionals from all disciplines. IUP’s chapter of the honors society is one of 300 in the country. Membership is invitation-only, based on distinguished academic achievements.

According to representatives at Phi Kappa Phi’s national office in Baton Rouge, the society’s study abroad grants are designed to recognize and assist outstanding undergraduates who seek knowledge and experience through studying abroad. Applicants for the awards are expected to display academic and extracurricular leadership, in addition to exceptional dedication to their fields of study.

Russo is the second grant winner in two years from IUP. Last year, Phi Kappa Phi awarded a grant to Amber Skye Flynn, a junior double major in anthropology and religious studies from Little Marsh, in the Robert E. Cook Honors College. Flynn’s grant helped her participate in a six-week archaeological excavation in northern Israel.


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