College Student Michael Tichy, Serves as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2024
5/4/2024
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ
Resident of Effort, Pa., founded the University’s Tri Alpha Honor Society, which provides support for and recognizes the accomplishments of first-generation college students.
Michael Tichy wasn’t considered a top student academically at the small high school he attended in Pennsylvania. On Saturday, May 4, Tichy graduated as the valedictorian of the Centenary University Class of 2024 with a 3.9 grade point average (GPA). He completed his college degree in just three years.
“Centenary was a new beginning for me,” said Tichy, a resident of Effort, Pa., who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and minors in psychology and sociology. “I did well in high school, but I didn’t have a great GPA and didn’t make it into the National Honor Society. When I got to college, I really wanted to take who I am to the next level.”
A member of the Centenary University Honors Program, Tichy is a first-generation college student, a designation that poses significant hurdles for students and can sometimes affect future success. Tichy was determined to change those odds—for himself and other first-gen students at Centenary. For his honors capstone project, he studied factors that shape the college experience for first-gen students and was the driving force in establishing a Centenary University chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha—also referred to as Tri Alpha—the national honor society for first-gen students.
ABOUT CENTENARY UNIVERSITY
Centenary University offers extraordinary learning opportunities that empower students to develop intellectually, emotionally, and interculturally—keys to career and personal success. Under the leadership of President Dale Caldwell, Ed.D., the University aspires to advance its reputation as a world class institution offering innovative programs, including the world’s first Master of Arts in Happiness Studies, to lift the future for our students and local communities.
CONTACT
Kristen Volkland
Erbach Communications Group
(201) 960-3102
