Dallas College Brookhaven’s Alpha Delta Pi chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society flew to Kansas City, Missouri from April 3-5 for this year’s PTK Catalyst convention. This year’s convention, filled with workshops, general sessions and academic opportunity, was held at the Kansas City Convention Center.
Catalyst is PTK’s biggest national event of the year and is a three-day convention where members from across the country gather to celebrate chapter accomplishments, elect new international officers, explore transfer opportunities with colleges and universities and dive into a schedule of workshops and keynote speakers.
Alejandro Arballo, Alpha Delta Pi chapter president, said the convention was a space of lots of learning and inspiration, where every attendee brought fun and energy.
This year’s event delivered big on inspiration and energy, with a major focus on resilience, the value of owning one’s own story and how to keep moving forward in the face of change.
As one of the Top 100 PTK chapters in the nation, Alpha Delta Pi celebrated proudly. This recognition reflects the chapter’s hard work and leadership over the past year.
Maria Wagner, chapter vice-president said, “The convention was a great way to end my tenure as a PTK officer and I will miss the trips and people, it’s been such an incredible experience.”
One of the most talked-about moments came when Steve Burns, the original host of Blue’s Clues, stepped onstage to deliver a keynote.
For many students who grew up watching Burns help solve paw-print mysteries, seeing him speak in person was a nostalgic full-circle moment.
Burns got personal, sharing his journey through mental health, fame and finding purpose.
The convention also featured the largest transfer fair in the country, sponsored by Common App. Over two days, members had the opportunity to connect with dozens of universities from across the U.S., ask questions, talk scholarships and get a feel for what their futures might hold after community college.
From late-night conversations to chapter group outings, Alpha Delta Pi made the most of the social side of the event. Wagner said, “Us all in the mom van with [our advisor] Rebekah, going to get dinner, was such a fun bonding experience.”
Between sessions, members found time to play card games, share laughs and make new friends with students from other regions.
Techchheng Tray, chapter vice-president of scholarship said, “It was fun, we got to eat out every day at restaurants in town and still got the time to play group games.”
On top of going out for food fun, the chapter also stayed in the convention center to bond with fellow chapters.
Arballo said, “Being able to meet all the people I met from PTK is always an amazing experience and playing card games with sister chapters is always crazy, in a good way.”
From engaging sessions to dance parties, it was a weekend packed with growth, joy and just the right amount of chaos.
The memories made in at this year’s convention will carry with Alpha Delta Pi, as they return to Brookhaven with a renewed passion for their academics and careers ahead.
