Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society, recognizes students for exceptional academic performance across the liberal arts and sciences. This year, nine members of the Class of 2019 were elected: Ian Chen, Richard Court, Yongzheng Liang, Elizabeth Maier, Lona Sniderman, Jonathan Stickel, Ryan Tamburrino, Benjamin Walsh, and Jinghong Wang.
Established in 1869, the Hamilton College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa is the fifth-oldest in the state and twentieth-oldest overall. In examining candidates for selection, Hamilton considers fulfillment of the academic goals of the College and breadth of intellectual study in at least five of six categories: arts, mathematics/computer science, sciences, social sciences, languages, and humanities. Students are generally elected in their senior year, and those eligible must have taken a course at the 200-level or above in at least three of the categories. Hamilton’s chapter recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement across the disciplines as well as a passion for exploring the liberal arts curriculum.
Lona Sniderman ’19, a foreign languages concentrator and public policy minor, plans to work in finance with a job that focuses on the Chinese markets. “Election to Phi Beta Kappa is really exciting for me, especially with the hundreds of hours of work I’ve put in towards my Mandarin,” said Sniderman. Off-campus, she used her Spanish fluency to research international arms trade in Barcelona during the summer of her sophomore year. While abroad in Beijing during her junior spring, Sniderman interned as a fieldwork analyst at a hedge fund which was heavily invested in Chinese technology companies. “I’m really fascinated by the Chinese tech sector. It’s definitely my academic passion and work direction, and I’m looking to work in finance and equity research now.” While at Hamilton, she has also taken courses in theatre, drama, government, economics, and public policy in addition to being a Senior Admissions Intern, a senior advisor to the Hamilton Association for Volunteering, Outreach, and Charity (HAVOC), and a member of Phi Beta Chi sorority. Needless to say, Sniderman has taken advantage of almost everything Hamilton has to offer, and she is humbled to receive recognition for her hard work.
Ian Chen ’19, a physics concentrator and mathematics and economics minor, is considering both graduate school as well as a career in either consulting or finance. Prior to his election, he received the Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize, which is given to the 10 students with the highest GPAs at the end of their first year. An international student from Canada and a student-athlete, Chen came to Hamilton eager to delve into the College’s academics, extracurriculars, and community. He joined Student Assembly, International Students Association, No Pawn Intended, and the Tennis Club in addition to being on the hockey team. This semester, he is a QSR tutor, a physics teaching assistant, and an orientation trip leader. “Originally, I had no desire to lead an orientation trip, but I’ve become a lot more willing to try new things. That’s one of the best skills students can take away from their time here at Hamilton,” said Chen. His advisors, Gordon Jones and Richard Bedient, encouraged him to take a challenging and diverse curriculum. “When I came to Hamilton, I was less open to exploring different courses than I am now. Now, there are so many interesting courses outside my major requirements that I want to take. All the faculty make their classes very enjoyable, and I really believe that if you take classes you’re really interested in the grades will follow.” Given the College’s open curriculum, students are given the chance to pursue a variety of disciplines. “All professors emphasize breadth of curriculum here, so naturally, without really having to try, students just satisfy the requirement for taking courses in all these fields,” said Chen.
Previous notable Hamilton undergraduates elected to Phi Beta Kappa include two Nobel Prize recipients — Elihu Root, U.S. Secretary of State, New York senator, and recipient of the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize, as well as Paul Greengard, Professor at the Rockefeller University and recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. B.F. Skinner, psychologist, proponent of behaviorism, and recipient of the National Medal of Science was also an elected member.
