National Italian Honor Society Inducts First Sewanee Members
March 27, 2025
On Wednesday, March 26, the Sewanee chapter of Gamma Kappa Alpha National Italian Honor Society inducted its first three members: Zoe Bain, C’25; Ben Csaszar, C’25; and Rosa Sackett, C’25.
Gamma Kappa Alpha recognizes the top students in Italian studies nationwide. To be eligible for nomination, candidates must rank in the upper 35% of their class, have studied Italian beyond the intermediate level (with a minimum of five courses), and maintain a minimum B average in the subject. All three of Sewanee’s inductees are Italian minors, and all three studied abroad in Florence, Italy, in the previous academic year.
“Having a chapter here in Sewanee means connecting our program with many Italian programs around North America, allowing our students to be part of a larger community and take advantage of greater learning opportunities,” says Alessia Martini, visiting assistant professor of Italian.
The establishment of Sewanee’s Gamma Kappa Alpha chapter coincides with the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Italian minor at Sewanee. Though Italian has been taught regularly at Sewanee since 1971, its presence at the University goes back much further—to 1860, when the University’s founders first envisioned a program in Italian.
In her remarks at the induction ceremony, Martini recognized Emerita Instructor of Italian Leslie Richardson, whose 35-year tenure teaching Italian made her the program’s longest-serving instructor to date. Martini also noted that this year marks the 12th anniversary of the opening of the Italian House, which has annually served as both a residence and a site for co-curricular engagement for Italian students.
The Gamma Kappa Alpha National Italian Honor Society is a society formed to acknowledge superior scholastic performance in the field of Italian studies, including language, literature, cinema, and culture. It is open to membership at institutions of higher learning in both the United States and Canada. The organization recognizes outstanding undergraduate scholarship in Italian Studies by awarding the Gamma Kappa Alpha Award for Scholarship annually.
