Editorial Note:
This blog feature was compiled by Alpha Kappa Delta’s (AKD) Media Editor, Stephanie Wilson, in celebration of one of 2026 AKD Chapter of the Year recipient, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T).
The Emory Bogardus Chapter of the Year Award has been established to recognize and reward chapter achievement in fulfilling the general purposes of AKD to acknowledge and promote excellence in scholarship in the study of sociology, the research of social problems, and such other social and intellectual activities as will lead to improvement in the human condition. The use of this award is to support chapter development and service activities. Each year, one applying chapter is awarded $500 to support chapter development and service activities.
Continue reading to learn more about how tour 2026 Chapter of the Year!
Chapter of the Year: North Carolina A&T State University
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) is pleased to recognize the Zeta Chapter at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University as the 2026 Emory Bogardus Chapter of the Year.
Originally established in 1974 and reactivated beginning in 2024, the Zeta Chapter has quickly built an impressive program of scholarship, service, professional development, and public sociology. During the 2025–2026 academic year, chapter members connected undergraduate students with faculty research opportunities, organized community health and food security initiatives, hosted professional development programming, revived a sociology awards and induction ceremony after more than a decade, and earned first-place recognition for their community service activities within NC A&T’s Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences.
Their work reflects AKD’s commitment to advancing sociological scholarship while putting that knowledge in service of communities.
To learn more about the chapter, its recent accomplishments, and what comes next, we spoke with Dr. Stephanie Teixeira-Poit, Zeta Chapter advisor, and Camryn King, chapter president.
Can you share some of the history of the Zeta Chapter at North Carolina A&T?
The Zeta Chapter of AKD at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) was first established in 1974 and remained active through 2018. The chapter became inactive when faculty retired from the university. In 2024, current faculty and students began re-establishing the chapter.
Can you share a bit about NC A&T, the Sociology Program, and the broader community in which your chapter exists?
Established in 1891, NC A&T is an 1890 land-grant institution. With an enrollment of about 15,275 students, NC A&T is the largest historically Black university (HBCU) in the nation. In 2026, Forbes magazine ranked NC A&T as No. 1 among all public HBCUs across the nation. NC A&T is classified as a doctoral higher research activity university with a research enterprise among the top three in the 17-campus University of North Carolina System.
NC A&T is widely known for the A&T Four, a group of students who facilitated a sit-in at the Woolworths pharmacy at a time of segregation. They peacefully protested by sitting at the counter where only White people were usually served. This sit-in inspired other sit-ins across the nation, which helped to pushed forward the civil rights movement. The Sociology Program has notable graduates such as international force for equality and justice, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.
In what ways has your chapter engaged with the community both on and off campus?
The Zeta Chapter of AKD facilitated programs open to the entire university student body to spread information about scholarship and research activities and induction into AKD. These events included a student organization symposium, an AKD interest meeting, and an AKD full board meeting. At the events, we discussed opportunities to conduct scholarship and research with a faculty mentor and connected students to these opportunities. Seventeen undergraduate students engaged in research with sociology faculty in the 2025-2026 academic year.
Consistent with AKD’s mission to promote scholarship and service, the chapter also engaged in activities that addressed critical community needs. Leading causes of death in North Carolina include heart disease and cancer, with high maternal and infant death rates and unequal access to health opportunities shaped by residential segregation and structural racism—reflected in a 15-year lower life expectancy in East Greensboro neighborhoods near NC A&T compared with other parts of the city.
To help close this gap, the Zeta Chapter of AKD partnered with NC A&T’s Center of Excellence for Integrative Health Disparities and Equity Research (CIHDER) and the Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences on a campus community health fair aimed at improving life expectancy by five years in five years; after Indigenous Community Advisory Council members identified grief support as a pressing need, Zeta worked with CIHDER and the Department of Sociology and Social Work to create an IRB-approved grief screener and resource materials, then staffed the Sociology and Social Work tables to screen attendees for grief and other needs, link them to on-site services, and provide grief-coping handouts (FBI and SAMHSA) plus local mental health referrals.
Building on its commitment to addressing community needs through public sociology, the chapter also engaged in efforts to reduce food insecurity among residents of East Greensboro. Food insecurity remains a significant challenge in East Greensboro, a long-standing food desert in a region once ranked highest in the nation for food hardship. Black residents in Guilford County experience disproportionately high rates of food insecurity, with many community members regularly skipping meals, a condition linked to numerous adverse physical and mental health outcomes.
To address this need, the Zeta Chapter of AKD organized the “Eastside Outreach: Feeding with Compassion” project in partnership with a local food pantry. Sociology students helped sort donations, prepare grocery packages, assist families through a mock grocery store experience, and distribute food and essential items to community members. This effort supports a pantry that serves approximately 250 families each month while promoting dignity, compassion, and access to nutritious food. The project also provided students with an opportunity to practice public sociology by addressing a critical community issue in alignment with AKD’s mission to “investigate humanity for the purpose of service.”
How has having an active AKD chapter on campus improved the experiences and professional development of students in the Sociology Program?
The Zeta Chapter of AKD promoted student interest in sociology-related professions by hosting Dr. Kendra Jason, President of the Southern Sociological Society, for a keynote address tailored to students’ questions about educational pathways, careers, research opportunities, and navigating the job market. Drawing on her own professional journey, Dr. Jason encouraged students to be brave, curious, and authentic, while emphasizing the importance of developing a research niche, building supportive professional networks, and intentionally planning for future career goals. The event concluded with an interactive discussion involving students and their families.
The chapter also celebrated student achievement through an AKD induction and Sociology Program Awards Ceremony, the first such recognition event in over a decade. Supported by grants secured by the chapter, the program recognized excellence in community service, research, and leadership. Fifty-four people RSVP’d to attend, 10 students were inducted into AKD, 3 students received community service awards, 18 were recognized for exemplary research, and 8 were honored for outstanding leadership.
What is one of your favorite memories with your AKD chapter from the past year?
At NC A&T, the sociology program is housed with the Hairston College of Health and Human Services (HCHHS). HCHHS hosted a week-long series of events, which included a Student Organization Showcase among other events. At the event, Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter gave a keynote address followed by remarks from the HCHHS Dean Elimelda Ongeri. After this, there was a poster session where each student organization gave a poster presentation about their community service activities to a panel of judges and attendees. The Zeta Chapter of AKD presented a poster and won first-place poster among all student organizations in the college for their community service activities.
What activities does the Zeta Chapter have planned for the 2026–2027 academic year?
Moving forward, the Zeta Chapter of AKD will continue the “Eastside Outreach: Feeding with Compassion” project while expanding opportunities for students to engage in public sociology through university farm service projects that support community health, food security, and wellbeing.
Congratulations to the Zeta Chapter
From creating opportunities for undergraduate research to addressing community health and food insecurity, the Zeta Chapter at NC A&T demonstrates how AKD chapters can bring together sociological scholarship, student development, public sociology, and service.
Alpha Kappa Delta congratulates Dr. Stephanie Teixeira-Poit, Ms. Camryn King, and the entire Zeta Chapter at NC A&T on being named AKD’s 2026 Emory Bogardus Chapter of the Year.