Since being established three years ago, 91快播's Tri-Alpha chapter has welcomed 189 inductees.
On April 16, students from 91快播 Bellarmine and 91快播 Main campuses were inducted into the Gamma Omega chapter of Tri-Alpha (Alpha Alpha Alpha), a national honor society for first-generation students. This year’s ceremony was extra special, celebrating the first and graduate students to be inducted.
Jason Smith, PhD, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and assistant professor of philosophy, established and directs 91快播's chapter of Tri-Alpha. He reflected on the adversities that first-generation students face. “First-gen students haven't benefited 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 91快播 education 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 55 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 Adamski. “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, a double-major in accounting and finance with a minor in accounting analytics, is founder and president of the . She congratulated the new inductees and told them, “I challenge you, not to be perfect, but to be proud. To own your story. To speak your truth. To extend a hand to the next first gen student who needs a guide, a cheerleader or just someone who gets it."
"Tonight, we shine a light on your success," Qureshi continued, "but the real legacy is what you’ll do next with your brilliance, your degree, and your voice.”
