New Student Leadership at PTK
Debra Godette (left) and Iyanna Tucker have formed a friendship that goes beyond their roles in the College's honor society.
Debra Godette, the outgoing the president of Thomas Nelson's Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, is 34. Iyanna Tucker, the incoming president, is 19. That age gap doesn't mean Godette is the lone mentor and can't learn from Tucker.
"Iyanna has proven to me that age has nothing to do with how dedicated you can be to a cause," Godette said. "She is the most hardworking young woman I have ever met. She often tells me that I inspire her, but honestly, it works both ways."
As Tucker prepares to take over the reins of the College's chapter from Godette, she's confident she's up to the challenges because of her predecessor's guidance.
"Debra helped me each step of the way. She gave me the confidence I need to know I can do the position," said Tucker, who has been the organization's secretary since May. "Debra put me under her wings (as the secretary), and that's how everything started."
Tucker, a graduate of Woodside High School in Newport News who is working on a degree in social science, will step into her new role in January after Godette's winter graduation. She'll hold the position until she graduates in spring 2021.
"If they need me a little bit after, I'll still be willing to help," Tucker said.
Tucker didn't know much about PTK until she joined the international honor society for two-year colleges and institutions. She saw the organization as a new opportunity and experience.
"I just wanted to get my hands in and do something new," she said. "When I saw the opportunity, I said PTK sounds good. … Honestly, I didn't know what I was putting myself into."
Dr. Valerie Burge-Hall, who is in her fifth year as Thomas Nelson's PTK adviser, said Tucker was eager to help from Day 1.
"Iyanna came in asking, 'What can I do to help?' She came in with that type of attitude," Burge-Hall said.
Tucker became the secretary soon after joining the organization, beginning a close working relationship with Godette.
"It was almost like she got to shadow Debra, which made … it like she was getting on-the-job training," Burge-Hall said.
After seeing Tucker in action, Godette is confident in Tucker's ability to lead the 200-member organization.
"She is constantly trying to think of things we can do, ways to promote the club, how to make it better," Godette said. "She's always thinking about how we can improve."
Tucker's main goal as president is to continue the work Godette and others have done, which included helping the chapter earn a prestigious 5-star status for the first time. She also wants the members to become more active and involved to achieve different goals.
"In the president, I see a strong leader that can actually bring students together," said Tucker, who added sometimes the members become a little lost and need reasons to get involved.
Burge-Hall has no reason to think Tucker won't be a success.
"I have nothing but great expectations for her," Burge-Hall said. "Anytime I ask her to do something, she's like 'Yes, I will do it.'"
However, Tucker realizes she has big shoes to fill.
"I'm still wrapping my mind around this position," she said. "It happened so fast. I like leadership roles and positions, but I'm a humble person. Since I've been around Debra, I understand for the most part what to do. Honestly, I can do this."
Godette's ascension to president also happened quickly, and somewhat surprisingly. She joined PTK in spring 2017, and was just going to be a regular member. However, she became friends with another non-traditional student who was heavily involved in the organization.
"She brought my attention to it, and then I saw her dedication, and what they were trying to do," Godette said. "That attracted me to it, the sense of community that they had, the dedication they had. I just fell in love with it, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it."
The first office she held was secretary, then vice president.
"It was just a natural progression for me to become president," she said.
Godette is particularly proud Thomas Nelson's Phi Sigma chapter earned 5-star status, the highest awarded by the national organization, for the 2019-2020 academic year. She credits to her predecessor, Niyah Ahmad.
Another thing she is proud of is "The Meet Up" podcast, which began this semester. When she became involved in the College's Press Play studio in the summer, she saw an opportunity for PTK.
"We wanted to find a way to reach out to students and also to give students a voice so they can come in and promote anything that has to do with student life or community life," she said. "That's what we wanted 'The Meet Up' to be about."
So far, Godette and others have produced four podcasts, which are available at https://www.vpcc.edu/virtual-studio/podcasts/.
The PTK national office encourages its 1,250 chapters to create a service project each year, and that led to "The Meet Up" podcasts. The podcast studio seemed a perfect fit to achieve that goal and one of Godette's: to make PTK more visible on campus.
"Her big thing was 'I want people to know what PTK is,'" Burge-Hall said of Godette. "Last year was weird for all of us because of the pandemic, so we didn't get to do as much as we had planned. But I do think people are more familiar with PTK than they may have been a couple of years previously."
With the transition from Godette to Tucker expected to be a smooth one, there's no reason the chapter can't continue to be a success.
"She's a go-getter," Burge-Hall said of Tucker. "Barriers don't keep her back. It just makes her more creative about how she will achieve her goals."
Godette is just as confident of her colleague and, much younger, friend.
"I'm so happy to have met her, and I know that she will be successful as president," Godette said.