Amy Joffrion, a Spring 2021 graduate of Tyler Junior College, has been named a Hites Scholar and will receive a $7,500 scholarship for baccalaureate studies.
She is one of only ten students selected nationwide and the first from TJC to receive the prestigious award.
The Hites Transfer Scholarship is awarded to Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society members who are preparing to transfer to a bachelor’s degree-granting college or university. Winners were selected from among 3,700 applicants nationwide for their outstanding academic achievement and rigor, leadership accomplishments, and engagement in college and community activities. At TJC, Joffrion served as an officer in the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and was also selected as a Texas regional officer.
The Hites Transfer Scholarship Program is made possible by support from the Hites Family Foundation and the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. This is the largest scholarship Phi Theta Kappa awards to its members. The Hites Family Foundation was established by Robert Hites, an executive with Ralston Purina in St. Louis, Missouri, who, upon his retirement, became an instructor at St. Louis Community College.
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. The TJC Alpha Omicron Chapter is one of the oldest Phi Theta Kappa chapters in the nation, chartered since 1930. The TJC chapter has won numerous honors, and individual chapter members have amassed thousands of dollars in scholarships and awards.
The ten 2021 Hites Scholars are from various colleges throughout the United States, and Joffrion is the only Texas recipient.
A health information technology and biology major from Whitehouse, Joffrion, plans to continue her studies at The University of Texas at Tyler, where she will study biochemistry in preparation for medical school.