Honor society induction for adult learners set for early February

January 27, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 10)
Article by Michele Coffill

Copy URL

Traverse City resident Matthew Showalter, a Navy veteran, will be one of 25 GVSU adult learners inducted into an honor society in February.

Twenty-five adult learners will be inducted into the inaugural cohort of the Grand Valley chapter of the Alpha Sigma Lambda national honor society during a ceremony at the Eberhard Center.

Matthew Showalter plans to participate in the event, traveling from his home in Traverse City with his family. Showalter is a U.S. Navy veteran who retired due to medical reasons in 2021. He and his wife have two children and another due in February.

"My path to obtaining a degree has been anything but linear," said Showalter, an allied health sciences major with a concentration in pre-physician assistant studies.

Showalter said his wife was completing a master's degree in social work, so his own degree progress stopped as he supported her goals. Returning to the classroom with work and life experience has given Showalter a different perspective, he said.

"It's given me resilience and a renewed sense of commitment to accomplish the goal before me," he said. "My children are a huge part of why I returned to school and why I was interested in the honors society."

The induction ceremony for students and their families is February 5, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Eberhard Center.

Benefits for students include access to annual scholarship opportunities through Alpha Sigma Lambda.

Categories

Across Campus