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Thirty ¹ú²úÂ×Àí Online distance learning students were inducted this spring into Tau Sigma, the national honor society for transfer students.

NORFOLK, Va. - Thirty ¹ú²úÂ×ÀíOnline distance learning students have been initiated into Tau Sigma, the national honor society for transfer students.

Membership in ¹ú²úÂ×Àí's chapter of Tau Sigma is granted to students who have transferred to ¹ú²úÂ×Àí after completing at least one year at another institution and earned at least a 3.5 grade point average or placed in the top 20 percent of all incoming transfer students during their first term.

More than 100 ¹ú²úÂ×Àí students were inducted into Tau Sigma this spring, representing excellence in nontraditional college pathways. Because of a strong relationship with the U.S. military and agreements with community colleges in Virginia and around the country, students may start their education with one institution and graduate with a degree from ¹ú²úÂ×Àí, often with seamless transitions.

The following ¹ú²úÂ×ÀíOnline students were inducted into Tau Sigma:

• Syntha Allen, Brodnax, Va.
• Katarina Anderson, Virginia Beach, Va.
• Wykitia M. Anderson, Richmond, Va.
• Schaquoria L Barbour, Martinsville, Va.
• Ian Douglas Barry, Springfield, Va.
• Kwase' M. Bellamy, Richmond, Va.
• Heidy Nicole Bustamante, Woodbridge, Va.
• Silvia Elena Carrillo, Sterling, Va.
• Taisha Renee Davis-Edmond, Virginia Beach, Va.
• LaNesha Christa German, Hampton, Va.
• Michele Leigh Gregg, Chesapeake, Va.
• Erica Grinnell, Virginia Beach, Va.
• Darielle Krueger, Gloucester, Va.
• Karen P. Hale, Wake, Va.
• Jacob Andrew Hylton, Buchanan, Va.
• Leslie Johnson, Rural Retreat, Va.
• Cassandra Lynn Kelly, Winchester, Va.
• Sara Landi, Bassett, Va.
• Avery Lindsey, Galax, Va.
• Sarah Fay Lucy, Elkton, Va.
• Chantel Sharai Moton, Newport News, Va.
• Nancy L. Peacock, Woodville, Va.
• Emillee Elizabeth Russell, Marion, Va.
• Mark Aaron Sherrill, Middlebrook, Va.
• DeAndre Maurice Smith, Hampton, Va.
• Aaron McCoy Trainham, North Chesterfield, Va.
• Janell Cinnamon Underdue, Suffolk, Va.
• Ashlyn N VanKampen, Poquoson, Va.
• Jessica Latise Walker, Prospect, Va.
• Maura Elizabeth Wyrick, Summerville, S.C.

While transferring credits to ¹ú²úÂ×Àí may be easy, coming to campus or joining ¹ú²úÂ×Àí's online learning community may be a challenge at first. Daniela Cigularova, director of transfer initiatives at Old Dominion, says that's why initiation to Tau Sigma is so critical. It not only rewards academic excellence but also facilitates a sense of belonging and engagement outside the classroom for transfer students.

And it's not just about the students. Cigularova says Tau Sigma is also about "recognizing family, spouses and partners of the transfer students. They're nontraditional students and often come to the ceremony with 10 family members. They are often first-generation college students and have moved through four or five different schools and finished up at ¹ú²úÂ×Àí. We're very proud of that."

¹ú²úÂ×Àí, located in the coastal city of Norfolk, is Virginia's entrepreneurial-minded doctoral research university and has been delivering distance learning programs for 30 years. We offer more than 100 programs through ¹ú²úÂ×ÀíOnline in a variety of formats, allowing students to complete degree programs across the world. ¹ú²úÂ×Àí serves more than 24,600 students annually by providing the same rigorous academics online and on-campus. Learn more about ¹ú²úÂ×ÀíOnline's programs by visiting online.odu.edu.