Students Awarded Phi Beta Kappa Honors in Recognition of Their Outstanding Academic Achievements

Phi Beta Kappa, one of the most prestigious and oldest academic honor societies in the United States, serves to recognize excellence in the liberal arts and sciences across qualified colleges and universities. The Beta Chapter of Iowa housed at Grinnell College was established in 1907 as the 70th chapter nationwide and the second in Iowa. 

A total of 48 newly and previously elected members of Grinnell’s classes of 2026 and 2027 are being recognized this year for their outstanding academic achievements. The College’s 2026 Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony will be held at 3:30 p.m., May 16, in Herrick Chapel, as part of Commencement weekend festivities. 

Phi Beta Kappa membership signifies that students have achieved a high level of academic success not only in their major field of study, but in the foundational elements of a liberal arts education. Members join the ranks of 17 U.S. presidents, 42 Supreme Court justices, and more than 150 Nobel Laureates. 

Membership not only signals students’ academic achievement — it connects students to a diverse network of other academic leaders from other institutions; opens access to specific awards, fellowships, grants, and career resources; encourages their lifelong learning and provides them with tools to advocate for the arts and sciences. 

Phi Beta Kappa chapters promote liberal arts on our campus, such as bringing nationally selected visiting scholars to Grinnell to build connections with students and model the application of Phi Beta Kappa principles in their research, teaching, and service. 

As members of Phi Beta Kappa, the following students will join a long tradition of intellectual inquiry and achievement, further enriching the vibrant academic environment at Grinnell. 

From the class of 2026, elected as juniors: 

Kaycie Brookens 

Saki Ehara 

Sasha Laugen 

Duc Ngoc Nguyen 

Lily Victoria Piede 

James Lincoln Snyder 

Sophia Unzicker 

Class of 2026, members in course elected as seniors: 

Benjamin Albrecht 

Joseph Barrows 

Avaash Bhattarai 

Leo Bucks 

Kieran Cannon 

Grace Dukesherer 

Greta Dunn 

Julie Durning 

Mallory Engelmann 

Zhichen Guan 

Alexander Jordan 

Morgan Karow 

Yuton Li 

Joyce Lin 

Hui-Chieh Candice Lu 

Duy Nguyen 

Kelly Paek 

Devanshu Sen Pandey 

Parikshit Roychowdhury 

Gabriela Roznawska 

Rachel Rudacille 

Geumryul Seo 

Delilah Shapiro 

Regan Stambaugh 

Victor Thorne 

Isabel Voinescu 

Miriam Vollmayr-Lee 

Tianyang Yu 

Kaijian Zheng 

From the class of 2027, elected as juniors: 

Ella Barnett 

Sarah Deschamps 

Andrew Fargo 

Julia Ghorai 

Sungjin Lim 

Aaryan Akshay Lodaya 

Sugi Lucas 

Sarah Mulzet 

Michael Murray 

Linh Vu 

Anne Wilber 

Hanzhang (Hazel) Zhou