Hill College Phi Theta Kappa chapter participates in Honors in Action program
Ashlee Ferguson
Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:24 AM
Academics
Hillsboro, TX
Every year the Hill College’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter, Nu Xi, participates in the PTK Honors in Action (HIA) program, which encourages members to conduct undergraduate research through exploration, problem solving, and action-oriented service to address real-world challenges in their communities.
Led by student officers Matthew Rodriguez, chapter president, and Christina Sulak, chapter vice president, their objective was to address the underrepresentation of marginalized and colonized communities, including indigenous peoples, enslaved and freed Africans, Latinos, and immigrant populations, as they relate to traditional Civil War narratives. Research involved centering on how communities preserved cultural identity through food, recipes, and traditions during periods of conflict, displacement, and social upheaval.
By utilizing resources at the Historical Research Center (HRC) at the Texas Heritage Museum (THM), students were able to locate historical records, oral histories, articles, and cookbooks, allowing them to make connections in how these groups found ways to use food as an instrument of memory, resilience, and resistance.
Through their research, and with the assistance of the staff at the THM, students found that the oral histories shared through cooking and passed down to other generations through written and oral traditions helped sustain cultural identity and preserved a portion of history not recorded in formal documentation.
Food and cultural preservation became living histories, a tradition that continues today. They are portable archives, reflecting the memories, identity, and resilience of displaced and immigrant communities by creating a sense of belonging. For these populations, food also served as a form of resistance. By holding on to their cultural identities, a generation was able to retain a sense of self in a time of conflict and uncertainty.
The project culminated with a “pop-up” display and an informational table at the Texas Heritage Museum that shares recipes, stories, and cultural histories with both the college and community.
“Working alongside Phi Theta Kappa students on their Honors in Action project has been an especially enjoyable and deeply rewarding experience,” said Texas Heritage Museum Education Assistant Vonnie Morphew.
“Our collaboration with Executive Director & Chief Curator John Versluis and Education Assistant Vonnie Morphew at the Texas Heritage Museum allowed our Phi Theta Kappa research project to achieve greater depth, credibility, and public reach, to meaningfully demonstrate how marginalized communities used food to preserve identity,” said Professor of Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Jim Williamson, who served as co-advisor along with Professor of Drama & Theatre Dr. Jenny Corder.
This March, at the regional conference in Fort Worth, Texas, awards will be given to the top five projects from PTK chapters in the state.
About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is an international honorary scholarship society for community and technical colleges whose mission is to recognize the academic achievement of college students. The Hill College chapter, Nu Xi, was established in 1964. Requirements for inductees include a minimum of 12 hours of college-level coursework completed at Hill College with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and who are currently enrolled at Hill College.
About the Texas Heritage Museum and Historical Research Center
The Texas Heritage Museum serves an active and successful role in the educational and service missions of Hill College and brings increasing national and international prestige to Hill College. The Texas Heritage Museum is comprised of the Galleries & Collection and the Historical Research Center. The front of the museum grounds is the Home of the Official Texas State Medal of Honor Memorial to Native-Born Texans.
The Historical Research Center holds an extensive collection of maps, photographic collections, microfilm, and an archival depository that contains numerous files of soldiers’ letters, diaries, and unpublished manuscripts from all wars. It is one of the nation’s finest collection repositories, providing resources to advance scholarly research and education at Hill College, as well as regionally and nationally.
Visitor Information
The Texas Heritage Museum is located at 112 Lamar Drive, Hillsboro, Texas, 76645. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., during Hill College fall and spring semesters. The Historical Research Center is open by appointment only. Please call 254.659.7750 for appointments and for more information about the museum.
The Texas Heritage Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.