Imahori named PTK Hites Scholar

by Emilie Jenson, Public Information Office
Posted on 5/18/2023

Koto Imahori, a 2023 graduate of Iowa Central Community College, is one of 15 Phi Theta Kappa members nationwide selected as a 2023 Hites Scholar.

 The Hites Transfer Scholarship is awarded to Phi Theta Kappa members who are preparing to transfer to a bachelor’s degree-granting college or university. Winners were selected from among 2,700 applicants nationwide for their outstanding academic achievement and rigor, leadership accomplishments, and engagement in college and community activities. The Hites Transfer Scholarship Program is made possible by support from the Hites Family Foundation and the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. This is the largest scholarship Phi Theta Kappa awards to its members.  As a Hites Scholar, Imahori will receive a $10,000 scholarship for baccalaureate studies.

Imahori came to Iowa Central as an international student via Wisconsin Lutheran High School to major in exercise science. She served as 2022-2023 PTK chapter president at Iowa Central. She is a member of the Triton Track and Field Team and has received Academic All-Region and All-American honors for her accomplishments on the track and in the classroom as well as being a President’s and Dean’s List honoree. In March, Imahori was named to the PTK All-Iowa Academic Team and recognized as the New Century Pathway Scholar for the State of Iowa. She is the first New Century and Hites Scholar from Iowa Central.  She plans to transfer to the University of Florida in the fall of 2023.

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges.