As a member of the Cali-Nev-Ha District Board, I served Division 7 North as their Lieutenant Governor for the 2022-2023 term.
I am especially proud to serve the clubs within Sacramento, as this is where the first Key Club was established nearly 100 years ago in 1925.
My experience as a Lieutenant Governor has truly been the most memorable year of my life, in more ways than one. Having been elected during the first year that our organization somewhat recovered from the influence of the pandemic, I constantly felt pressure to significantly grow the club membership and spirit.
However, this task proved much more difficult than I had previously imagined, and residing in a region where single DCMs (division council meetings) could produce over 100 members, I felt extremely incapable. I oftentimes compared myself to my counterpart Lieutenant Governors, which affected the way I perceived myself, for a large part of my term. However, I learned to lean on my friends scattered throughout the CNH district board, and we all shared the same doubts, struggles, fears, insecurities, and more.
Through each of our highest and lowest points, we were able to connect with one another, and through this, I gained many incredible friendships– ones that I am extremely grateful for, especially because it was so difficult for me to make friends at my own high school.
After bonding with other Lieutenant Governors who experienced the same struggles with their smaller Divisions, we learned that each Division has its own advantages and disadvantages, and oftentimes the state of our membership would be the result of our predecessors, which did not mean that the fault was on us, even if we sometimes produced only 10 members at a DCM.
After many restless nights, and tears, I slowly came to realize that it is not numbers that truly make the difference within the membership, but the experience that members walk away with– the Key Club moments that everyone will truly cherish and remember. This is the main reason why member recognition was so important to me, and to prepare for each DCM, I always made sure to hand make leis, gifts, and carefully choose awards to recognize members who have demonstrated passion in service and caring.
Even simply striking a conversation with members who I see sitting alone at events is what truly makes the difference and helps them feel appreciated and included. Knowing I can take pride in providing happy memories for all Key Clubbers, and even more through service, is what this organization teaches every one of us, and especially to those on the district board.
Having the opportunity to not only serve Division 7 North as a Lieutenant Governor, but also participate in activities with the district board, has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I cannot even begin to describe. From the countless fun plane rides I’ve taken with my region team to and from training conferences, to the many places we’ve traveled to and explored, as well as the ever-increasing bond between my team and I, this past term has been filled with so many fun memories that I wouldn’t trade the world for. Coming from a home where I’ve never been on a plane, rarely have time to travel with my family, and don’t have the financial means to go on trips such as these, it truly feels as if I experienced a whole new life as I was given the privilege to serve the CNH district and attend these events.
Aside from the fun field trip privileges, there are many things that being a part of this board has taught me, especially about socialization, organization, and budgeting, to name a few. Usually, these skills come in handy during school projects– experience in creating graphics/flyers has helped me produce many eye-catching and unique slideshows, speaking publicly for countless events ranging from 10-700 people has prepared me to speak to my class audiences in a much more engaging and passionate manner, navigating Google apps, especially spreadsheets, has given me the chance to become much more organized and even compile data for my math classes.
Recently, I have been assigned many projects which have allowed me to show my teachers and classmates what I’ve learned throughout my time as a Lieutenant Governor, through these numerous slideshow presentations, having even received high praises from both classmates and teachers. And not only have I been able to utilize these skills in the classroom, but they have also come in handy when it comes to problem solving in my life, always trying my best to promote inclusivity in all of my social interactions, and smart budgeting my paychecks.