Alpha Alpha Alpha Honor Society Inducts 18 New Members

More than a dozen first-generation DeSales students are being honored for their drive and determination. 

The Eta chapter of the Alpha Alpha Alpha honor society—designed exclusively for first-generation students—has inducted 18 new members, including Christopher Messinger ’20, an ACCESS accounting major. 

Getting his bachelor’s degree has been a goal of Messinger’s since he graduated from high school back in 1993. His first try at college didn’t end up the way he envisioned, and he lost his academic scholarship after three semesters. After years of jumping from job to job, in 2018 he decided to give college another try and to carve out a better career path for himself.  

“I had to overcome my own self-doubt,” he says. “I was my own worst critic and it took a mental toll on me. There were plenty of times I thought to myself, ‘No one in my family had graduated from college so why should I be any different?’” 

Messinger is now just one month away from a college degree, and he’s already accepted a position as an auditor with S.R. Snodgrass. Not only has he inspired his wife—another first-generation student—to pursue her degree, later this summer both of his daughters will be enrolled in college. 

“Never giving up sounds like such a cliché but it’s an example I have set for my daughters. They have seen firsthand the work and dedication it takes but how rewarding it can be to never give up on your goals. I might be the first generation, but I won’t be the last in my family.” 

 Christopher Messinger ’20

Moravian College established Alpha Alpha Alpha in 2018. To qualify for the Eta chapter, students must be first generation, have a minimum GPA of 3.2, and have completed 60 or more credits toward graduation. 

“This is a unique set of students,” says Ann Koefer, director of the Academic Resource Center, who serves as an advisor to the honor society and was the first to go to college in her family. “They’re the diamonds in the rough. On the whole, they tend to be independent thinkers, problem solvers, and people that don’t expect perfection.” 

Even though this year’s induction ceremony—set for April 5 in Connelly Chapel—had to be canceled due to the Coronavirus crisis, inductees will still receive their certificate, pin, and honor card in the mail.  

Congratulations to Messinger and all of this year’s student inductees: Theresa Albright, Laura Baker, Emily Belanger, Rebecca Ditmar, Danielle DuBois, Eugene Eckhart III, Hagar Fadel, Lynsey Hunt, Madison Macknis, Jacquelyn Maher, Jhanvi Naik, Vanessa M. Riquelmy, Thomas Schaeffer Jr., Rachel Sheubrooks, Morgan Tiesler, Ciara Thomas, and Michael Zeidan. 

Ricardo Luciano ’20 was also inducted as this year’s alumni member, while Linda Bell, assistant director of lifelong learning, and Loretta Ulincy, public services librarian, were inducted as honorary members. Both Bell and Ulincy have established stellar careers helping students at DeSales, and both have given their utmost to serve students in their journey to earn a college diploma.