Since 1993, when Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Association of Colorado, was created, we have awarded a total of $100,000 under our competitive scholarship program to help PBK initiates begin or continue graduate school. The purpose of the scholarships is to further the pursuit of knowledge and academic excellence.
Who May Apply
Any ΦΒΚ member or initiate who meets one of the following criteria:
- has received, or will be receiving, an undergraduate degree from a Colorado university or college
- has been accepted for, or is currently enrolled in, a graduate program at a Colorado university or college
- is residing in Colorado at the time of application
- is a current member of the Alpha Association of Colorado
How to Apply
The 2024 graduate scholarship application will be posted in March 2024.
Payment of Scholarship: Each award check will be sent to the college or university where the recipient is enrolled for his or her credit.
Taxation of the Award: Scholarships are tax free to the recipient only if he or she is a candidate for a degree and the funds are for tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at an accredited college or university in the United States. The scholarship will also be tax free if it covers fees, books, supplies, and equipment for courses at such an educational institution. The portion of any scholarship that covers associated expenses, such as room and board, travel, research, clerical help, and equipment, is not tax free. Recipients of taxable scholarships should report the taxable amount on their income tax returns, and they may have to pay estimated federal and state income taxes throughout the year.
If you have questions, please contact us at scholarship@pbkcolorado.org.
2023 Scholarship Recipients
Alpha Association Announces 2023 Scholarship Winners
Nathaniel Phillips, a 2023 summa cum laude graduate of Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, was awarded the $3,500 scholarship. He majored in Wildlife Health and Conservation Ecology and will begin his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at CSU this fall. Nathaniel played on the Cornell football team all four years as an offensive lineman and was named Cornell College Athletics Sportsman of the Year his senior year.
Na’ama Nevo, a 2023 Distinction in Mathematics and cum laude graduate of Colorado College, was awarded the $2,000 Scholarship. She majored in Mathematics and will begin her Ph.D. program in that field at Northeastern University in Boston. An interesting note is that she ran cross country and track her four years at CC and in her senior year was named to the Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators.
Thanks to all Alpha Association members for your donations and support that make these awards possible and to the Scholarship Committee for all their hard work. This year’s eleven applicants were well-qualified and had excellent credentials, and the committee completed a thorough evaluation of all candidates and their submissions before choosing the two winners. The PBK Alpha Association board approved the recommendations. The committee consisted of Chair Barbara Berryman, Tom Hall, Kate Silz-Carson, Julie DeWoody, and Amy Beth Rell.
Nathaniel Phillips
Growing up in Colorado, Nathaniel developed a passion for wildlife and the natural world. This led him to pursue an individualized degree in Wildlife Health and Conservation Ecology at Cornell College. While at school, Nathaniel participated in a wide range of courses and research, including a study abroad course focused on the effects of climate change on fire corals in Belize.
He also completed a fellowship at the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, focusing on the interface of human, animal, and environmental health through a One Health Approach. Related projects included the St. Louis Box Turtle Project and the Carnivore Conservation Initiative. Nathaniel has also worked with a wide range of species as an animal care intern and volunteer at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.
In addition to being a starter offensive lineman on Cornell’s football team, Nathaniel held multiple college work-study positions, including as a biology lab assistant, chemistry tutor, and tour guide manager. In his free time, Nathaniel enjoys painting, writing, and spending time in nature looking for wildlife.
Nathaniel hopes to pursue a career in zoo and wildlife medicine and to help inspire the next generation of veterinarians and conservationists to care for the natural world.
Na’ama Nevo
Na’ama Nevo grew up in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Colorado College with a BA in Mathematics.
Throughout college Na’ama spent each summer participating in three different Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), which are internship programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
This helped her gain experience in the research process and explore a variety of subjects, such as random graphs and algebraic geometry.
She also spent a semester abroad studying at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program, which sparked her interest in areas of combinatorics and theoretical computer science. For her thesis Na’ama chose to research algebraic coding theory because she was interested in how error-correcting codes use discrete mathematics, a pure math subject, as a tool to optimize digital data transmission and cloud storage.
Outside of academics, Na’ama ran on the cross country and track teams at Colorado College and took piano lessons, both hobbies that she hopes to continue alongside her studies in the coming years.
Previous Scholarship Recipients
- 2022: Alana Horwitz and Andrew Voitiv
- 2021: Joey Glick and Renée Blevins
- 2020: Verónica Gonzalez and Kal Parvanov (tie)
- 2019: Emma Whitehead and Jedediah Doane
- 2018: Jenny Wool and Tyler Irani
- 2017: Andrew Pham and Lauren Lustig
- 2016: Elliot Mamet and Angela Delano
- 2015: Kristina Barber and Pilar Ingle
- 2014: Taylor Sutcliffe and Emma Duffy