The John Henry Clark Honor Society held its induction ceremony Sunday. The ceremony was held in honor of students who maintain a 3.0 grade point average or higher while carrying at least 12 credit hours.

“The purpose of this organization is to commend and encourage students who are achieving and, also, we stand for academic success,” said Tiffany McDonald, president of the John Henry Clark Honor Society.

Sharee Henry, secretary of the John Henry Clark Honor Society, said Clark was the son of a sharecropper who went to New York to learn more about African-American culture. She said he was a historian, poet and true man of excellence.

The program started with LaVerne Gyant, the director for the Center for Black Studies and the adviser for this organization, performing the libation ceremony, which honors ancestors among other things.

The speaker of the ceremony was Derrick Smith, an academic counselor at the Center for Black Studies. He told inductees how proud he was to see the students achieving goals. He also told the students that their academic experience does not stop when they receive the degree.

“You have the job to take what you learned here and pass it on to your community,” he said. Smith also told the students that they were blessed to be here receiving an education and they need to one day bless someone else.

His speech was followed by the candlelight ceremony. Each inductee would light the candle of the person standing next to them. McDonald presented each of them with a certificate. The inductees were required to recite the mission statement in unison. They were presented with a pin from the current members of the John Henry Clark Honor Society.

Once inducted into the honor society, students are required to participate in community service events and an “achieving academic success” program where they help their students achieve their desired grade point averages.

“We try so hard to promote academic success,” McDonald said, “but it’s so hard to get people involved,” she said. McDonald also said she was very proud of the inductees and she wishes them success in the future.