Honor Society Delta Epsilon Iota Establishes Mississippi College Chapter
Derrick Echoles played a key role to launch a chapter of Delta Epsilon Iota as a doctoral student at the University of Southern Illinois.
This fall, he’s been successful again as Mississippi College begins a student chapter of the Georgia-based national honor society on the Clinton campus.
Created in 1994 at the University of Georgia, Delta Epsilon Iota recognizes academic excellence and gives its members a forum to promote leadership, community service and valuable insights into career development issues. The group also offers scholarship opportunities to student members.
Over the summer, Echoles, as MC’s assistant director of Career Services, went to work to bring Delta Epsilon Iota to the Baptist-affiliated university. In September, MC student government leaders gave their approval. As a result, Mississippi College is home of the honor society’s first chapter in the Magnolia State.
“The DEI National Office is thrilled to be launching a new chapter of our organization at Mississippi College,” says Alexa C. Britt, the honor society’s managing director. “Mississippi is a new area of expansion for us and we are excited for the new MC chapter to pave the way for future Mississippi scholars.”
Based at the organization’s Atlanta headquarters, Britt is excited to once again work with Echoles and MC students as the university begins its 189th academic year. The Delta Epsilon Iota leader worked well with him when he served as graduate career advisor on the Southern Illinois campus in Carbondale.
Ohio State University, North Texas State University and Florida Atlantic University join Mississippi College as some of the honor society’s newest campus chapters.
Active as president of the Student Social Work Organization at the University of Mississippi, Echoles brings the same energy and enthusiasm as the advisor to the MC campus chapter of Delta Epsilon Iota. He earned his bachelor’s degree in social work at Ole Miss in August 2008 and a master’s in higher education/student personnel in May 2010, while serving as an instructor on the Oxford campus.
The Indianola native expects the MC chapter’s students will stay involved with Office of Career Services initiatives this year, including the annual Career Day in February. The event brings scores of recruiters from businesses and government agencies to the Clinton campus to meet hundreds of job-seeking students. It’s never too early for college students to start thinking of careers, Echoles believes.
Initial members of MC’s Delta Epsilon Iota chapter are: Jeremy Kerstell of Germantown, Tennessee, Jacob Wilkins of Paducah, Kentucky, Virginia Cook of Amite, Louisiana and Andrew O’Brien of Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Their career interests are diverse.
Virginia is an elementary education major planning to become a teacher. Looking at business careers, Jacob is studying accounting, while Jeremy, the MC sophomore class president, is a business administration major. Andy is studying sports media on the Clinton campus and serves as sports editor of “The Mississippi Collegian.”
Students seeking to join the organization must maintain a minimum 3.3 grade point average. They cannot join until they become sophomores. MC’s new group will be known as the Alpha Lambda Iota chapter of Delta Epsilon Iota.
Echoles says he hopes the creation of the Mississippi College chapter will spark interest and encourage other schools around the state to join Delta Epsilon Iota.
For more information, contact Derrick Echoles at drecholes@mc.edu or call 601-925-7780.
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