In the academic competition, the students are scored on academic honors, activities including leadership, work experience, and an essay.  Joseph Paulin had the second highest score of the team members.  He is from of Ivy Tech Community College – Evansville.  Joseph was named the OneAmerica Scholar, receiving a $1,000 scholarship from OneAmerica.

The competition is sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year colleges, USA TODAY, and the American Association of Community Colleges.

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for students of two-year colleges. With more than 1.3 million members, Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education. Its more than 1,100 chapters are located throughout the United States, U.S. territories, Canada, Germany and Japan. Students must have complete at least 12 hours of course work toward an associates degree and have at least a 3.5 grade point average to be considered.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s second largest public post-secondary institution with over 73,000 students enrolled this spring.  Ivy Tech has 23 campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.