We would like to spotlight some of our outstanding O∆K members!
Alexis Matton
Rollins College, 2021
Alexis Matton (she/her/hers) is a political science and social entrepreneurship major at Rollins College. She is a senior, a member of Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society, and a winner of the Outstanding Academic Award for the Social Entrepreneurship Department. She completed a Washington Semester Program at American University in Summer 2022.
Alexis is the president of the Rollins College Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa and a student coordinator in the Office of Residential Life and Explorations. As a Democracy Fellow with The Campus Vote Project, Alexis partnered with the Rollins student ID office to add student signatures to campus ID cards, making them valid forms of voter identification in Florida. She serves as vice-chairperson of the Academic Honor Council and is a student ambassador for the Democracy Project.
M Pease
University of Maryland, College Park, 2020
M Pease (they/them/theirs) will graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science with a major in psychology and minors in Asian American studies and public leadership.
M is deeply involved in research. They worked as an undergraduate student-researcher at UMD’s Gender, Culture and Health Laboratory, served as a research and communications assistant at the Prevention and Research Center in the UMD School of Public Health, and was a first-year innovation and research experience student researcher in the UMD Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory. Between 2019 and 2021, they served as either author or co-author on two peer-reviewed publications, four in-progress publications, one book chapter, and nine additional publications and reports.
M has served their campus and community in many ways. They served as a senator in the UMD University Senate, a member or co-chair of nine committees and task forces, and a legislative intern with the Maryland General Assembly. They were also awarded nine additional scholarships and honors. M was named to the Distinguished Dean’s List of Outstanding Students every semester at UMD.
Carrie Elizabeth Smith
Loyola University New Orleans, 2020
Carrie Elizabeth Smith (she/her/hers) will graduate from Loyola University New Orleans in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in finance and marketing. She is currently the president of both the Eta Theta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Inc. and the Loyola Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa.
Carrie has been active on Loyola’s campus, serving as the Student Government Association director of finance, Women’s Resource Center associate director of marketing, a resident assistant, and AKA treasurer. She completed internships with JP Morgan Chase & Co., ACLU of Georgia, and Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. She also worked as a campus representative for The Princeton Review.
Carrie has received the Janet Mary Riley Award for the Advancement of Woman’s Issues, the Student Management Investment Fund Outstanding Sophomore Award, and the Feminist Leadership Award.
Jacob Thomas
Wake Forest University, 2020
Jacob Thomas is a biochemistry and molecular biology major at Wake Forest University. A senior with a 3.87 GPA, Jacob is a Joseph G. Gordon Merit Scholar, a full-tuition scholarship, and he graduates in May 2022.
During his time at WFU, he has served as president and secretary of the Black Student Alliance, leading a nine-member executive team and raising more than $23,000 to refurnish the group’s on-campus lounge. Jacob also serves as a resident advisor, member of Dash Corps, and Branches moderator within the Office of Civic and Community Engagement. He has served on three university committees related to diversity, equity and inclusion issues, and COVID-19 safety protocols. Jacob has conducted undergraduate research in art therapy and in the Esstman Laboratory. He received a $4,000 grant from the WFU Scholars Office and presented findings at WFU’s Undergraduate Research Day. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Einar Trosdal
Grove City College, 2021
Einar Trosdal (he/him/his) will graduate from Grove City College in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science with a major in molecular biology and a minor in chemistry. He is a member of the Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society and the American Chemical Society.
Einar has engaged in multiple research experiences at Grove City College, including participating in research on Alzheimer’s disease, assisting with the GEP Annotation Project, and studying bacillus anthracis. He has completed a microbiology internship with Vanderbilt University’s Lacy Lab and served as a summer research intern for Pierian Biosciences.
In addition, Einar is the founder of the Grove City College Department of Biology’s Eta Zeta Biology Journal, an online student publication designed to make primary research more accessible to undergraduates and secondary school students. He created an online biotech camp as a biology instructor for Outschool.com, and he was a laboratory assistant for two biology courses.
