Golden Key Honor Society inducts more than 600 new members

More than 600 students were recognized for their achievements Sunday evening as Golden Key National Honor Society held its annual induction ceremony. The ceremony included a keynote speaker who highlighted the importance of striving to achieve more, and a reception featuring a cappella ensemble Straight No Chaser.\nGuest speaker Barrett Ward, an IU alumnus and district sales manager for Southwestern Publishing Company, gave a keynote address about the importance of goals and ways to achieve them. He stressed "crystallizing your goals," or writing them down on paper. \n"If you do not have a vision, then you cannot see where you're going," Ward said.\nHe encouraged inductees to get "passionate" and "fired up" about about their goals, as this is the only way a person can stay motivated in difficult times, he said.\n"It went very well. The music was entertaining, and Barrett Ward's speech was inspiring," said Golden Key Vice President Dietrich Willke, a senior, who coordinated the ceremony.\nGolden Key President Carrie Friedrich, a senior, said Willke asked Ward to speak because Willke had worked with him this summer and was inspired by him.\nWard began his speech with an anecdote about legendary Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz. One night, after another loss by his high school football team, Holtz sat down at his kitchen table and made a list of goals he wanted to achieve. Ward told how Holtz went on to accomplish all of those goals, which included winning a national collegiate championship, meeting the president and earning $25,000 for a speech.\nTwo Ford Motor Company/Golden Key Undergraduate Scholarships based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, work commitments and leadership positions were awarded to junior Douglas Bolton and senior Matthew Culp.\n"This is our most important evening as a kickoff event for IU's Golden Key Chapter," said Chapter Adviser and Associate Director of Student Activities Darrell Ann Stone. "Not only was it an honor to induct over 600 members, but also, it was wonderful to see the current executive board work so hard to welcome and encourage new members. It was a beautiful evening -- music by Straight No Chaser, an inspirational speaker and refreshments."\nGolden Key is an international honor society that recognizes scholastic achievement, according to the Golden Key Web site at www.indiana.edu/~goldkey. Lifetime membership is awarded to college juniors and seniors who rank in the top 15 percent of their class. \n"Golden Key is a great experience, because it offers many community service opportunities and leadership positions," Friedrich said. "You meet a diverse group of people, as well. I'm glad I was given the opportunity to be president; I've definitely learned a lot from the experience and would encourage others to become involved, also."\nGolden Key is student-run and participates in various community service events. This year, IU's chapter trick-or-treated for Shelter, Inc., a local organization offering subsidized housing for low-income families. Golden Key sponsored Turkey Bowl, where members bowled with rubber chickens to raise money for the Bloomington Housing Authority, and held debates between campus political groups. The chapter plans to participate in an AIDS awareness project and an Earth Day event in the spring.\n"Community service is the primary focus for our chapter at IU, because we believe we have been given so much, and therefore, should give some back," said Community Service Officer Michelle Dube, a senior. \nGolden Key was founded in 1977 and now has more than 300 chapters internationally and more than 800,000 lifetime members and 11,000 honorary members including former president Ronald Reagan and President Bill Clinton and Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel.