Rome Reporter

Labeeba Shafique, a student at Georgia Highlands College (GHC) and member of the Alpha Psi Omicron chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honors society and Coca-Cola Academic Team has reason to celebrate: she has been selected as one of 50 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Bronze Scholars, granting her a $1,000 scholarship. 

The Coca-Cola Academic Team recognizes high-achieving college students who demonstrate academic excellence and intellectual rigor combined with leadership and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. 

Her scholarship was one of only 50 granted across the country.  

“I was proud to know that students like myself and our stories matter and are celebrated on a renowned platform such as the Coca-Cola Foundation,” Shafique said. 

Shafique says she became involved with PTK because the purpose of the organization strongly resonated with her, and she wanted to apply herself to promote her college’s chapter and foster fellowship.  

Currently pursuing an Associate of Science Degree in General Studies, Shafique has an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), and says the scholarship will help her to pursue undergraduate research and internships abroad that will strengthen her skills and prepare her for her future career. 

On campus, Shafique has worked for the Six Mile Post’s Student’s Spin Network since her first semester at GHC. In addition, she has served as the Student Government Association (SGA) President, Student Advisory Council Executive, Vice President of Chapter Events for PTK, an orientation leader at Welcome to Campus Day, a member of the Honors Program, Lake Allatoona Undergraduate Research and GHC student organization Woman to Woman. 

She encourages current and potential students to get involved to improve their student experience and expand opportunities. 

“Students should consider joining PTK as it enables them to connect to other driven and like-minded honors students on their campus, region and country,” she said. “Being in a cohort with other creative and talented minds diversifies a student’s perspective and contributes to their growth as thinker and learner.” 

In addition, she said PTK membership offers students a wide array of opportunities such as Honors in Action, College Project and the STEM and Innovation Challenge, which can help a student hone their leadership and presentation skills and teaches many elements of collaboration as well as the spirit of being a team player.  

“PTK also provides wonderful ways to dedicate oneself to service and bettering the campus community and the greater society, which can make the college experience more fulfilling,” Shafique said. 

She said her participation in the GHC Honors Program allowed her to create independent research projects and directed study plans with the mentoring of her sponsors, saying the program is unique as it dissolves the barriers between textbook-based learning constructs and teaches students to approach real-world problems or themes using theoretical knowledge. 

“The Honors Program allowed me to take ownership of the projects,” Shafique said. “Through designing my project, I learned to identify an original issue and be attentive to meeting multiple milestones, which helped me develop a stronger work ethic.” 

She advises every student to invest some time in building a relationship with their professors, advisors, and peers as well as to explore on-campus opportunities. 

“At GHC, I was able to challenge myself and showcase my talent in various ways by getting my hands on various activities,” Shafique said. “I am sincerely grateful to my PTK advisor Dr. Karen Huggin for encouraging me to compete for this national scholarship and to President Dr. Mike Hobbs, for nominating me for the 2023 All-Georgia Academic Team Award.” 

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