Golden Key Honor Society at CU Denver

A Golden Opportunity for Top Students

**Golden Key focuses on both academics and public service.**
Photo: courtesy of Golden Key Honor Society

The Golden Key Honor Society, the world’s largest collegiate honor society, has a chapter here at CU Denver.

The Golden Key Honor Society was originally founded on Nov. 29, 1977 by James W. Lewis at Georgia State University. It expanded from there and now has over 400 chapters in colleges all around the world, including in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Throughout their history, Golden Key Honor Society has recognized more than 12 million undergraduates and graduate students and awarded $10 million in scholarships and awards. Honorary members of Golden Key include human rights activist Desmond Tutu, Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Weisel, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former President Bill Clinton.

Golden Key Honor Society highlights their three pillars of academics, leadership, and service. Regarding the aspect of “service,” Golden Key chapters host numerous community service events, as the organizations highlights giving back to communities as one of their top priorities.

“Our mission is about leadership… We think about what we can do to help the community,” Leah Porter, President of the Golden Key Society Chapter at CU Denver, said. Porter is an undergraduate in the Business School.

Golden Key at CU Denver also holds social events, including an “Ugly Sweater” holiday party before Christmas break. Golden Key members at CU Denver accepted gift donations at their holiday party for a refugee family in Denver.

“We adopted a family for Christmas,” Porter explained regarding the holiday donation drive.

In order to join, the student must be invited, as The Golden Key only applies to the top 15 percent of University students that are sophomores, juniors, and seniors. For graduate students, it is the top 10 percent.

Selected students will receive a letter of invitation that contains a code with which they can apply on the website. They will then receive their certificate after attending a ceremony.

While the entrance into the Golden Key Honor Society requires a one-time fee of 95 dollars, members’ benefits are for life. According to their website, The Golden Key provides access to several academic scholarships and awards, partnerships with major corporations, and career advancement programs.

Auraria students might have seen the CU Denver Golden Key chapter tabling at Fall Fest or in the Student Commons Building.

“We try to do tabling and outreach to students to let them know who we are and that we’re here for them,” Porter said.

Though members are accepted via invitation, Porter said that students who are interested in joining can reach out to her or the chapter’s advisor on campus. Students who are qualified and meet the club’s GPA requirement will have the ability to join Golden Key.

Interested students should keep an eye out for an email, as invitations to join the CU Denver chapter of the Golden Key Society will be sent out to students within the next few weeks.