Pictured above: Mya Blanco poses at University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine

Mya Blanco of Youngstown, Ohio, has been awarded a Fellowship worth $8,500 by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi—the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Blanco is one of 62 recipients nationwide to receive a Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship.

Blanco received a bachelor's degree in biology with a concentration in pre-dentistry from Youngstown State University. As a Phi Kappa Phi Fellow, Blanco will pursue a Doctor of Dental Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine.

Since its creation in 1932, the Fellowship Program has become one of the Society's most visible and financially well-supported endeavors, allocating $649,000 annually to outstanding students for first-year graduate or professional study. This year’s program awarded two awards at $35,000 each, the 1897 Fellowship and the Sherrill Carlson Fellowship; six $20,000 Marcus L. Urann Fellowships, named for the Society’s founder; and 54 fellowships of $8,500 each.

The selection process for a fellowship is based on the applicant's evidence of graduate potential, undergraduate academic achievement, service and leadership experience, letters of recommendation, personal statement of educational perspective and career goals, and acceptance in an approved graduate or professional program.

Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships are part of the Society’s robust portfolio of award and grant programs, which gives $1.3 million each year to outstanding members and students on chapter campuses through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.

To see the complete list of 2022 Phi Kappa Phi Fellows, visit the website. 

About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States, it territories and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society's mission is "To recognize and advance excellence in all fields of higher education and society and engage the community of scholars in service to others."