The 2021 Kappa Nu Sigma (KNS) virtual induction ceremony took place on Jan. 21, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. The ceremony was led by KNS President Charli White, ‘21, and Vice President Claire Biddix, ‘21, with special appearances by President Jo Allen and guest speaker Silda Wall Spitzer.
Meredith College’s KNS honor society recognizes students each year for outstanding academic achievement throughout their college careers. First- and second-year students who obtained the highest GPAs in their classes are recognized, and juniors with a GPA of 3.9 or higher and seniors with a GPA of 3.8 or higher are recognized and inducted by KNS. The society was founded in 1923 and takes its name from the Greek words kallous (beauty), nous (sound mindedness) and sophia (intelligence).
This year’s induction ceremony began with President Jo Allen’s remarks on the value of a Meredith College education that results in a deep connection with the world and with ourselves in addition to academic intelligence. After White announced the names of over twenty inductees, Biddix recited the KNS pledge.
Guest speaker Silda Wall Spitzer — former First Lady of New York State, lawyer and Meredith College alumna, Class of 1980 — concluded the ceremony by sharing a personal story about confidence with the inductees. She shared the experience she had reading Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger and how it taught her that we can learn from our past choices, but we should not regret them or allow them to diminish our confidence. Spitzer then quoted National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration Day poem, “The Hill We Climb”: “When day comes we step out of the shade, / aflame and unafraid, / the new dawn blooms as we free it. / For there is always light, / if only we're brave enough to see it. / If only we're brave enough to be it.” Spitzer followed this quote by asking inductees if they can believe in themselves as the poem calls for bravery. Finally, she asked, can you be brave enough to believe in yourself?
By Katelyn Wiszowaty, A&E Editor