Hi everyone!
Welcome
We just wanted to thank you for taking the time to read what CKI has accomplished and experienced in the first half of 2022 A lot of time and effort has gone into creating this newsletter and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us put the newsletter together. Also a special thank you to those who volunteered to submit an article or two. We couldn’t have created this without you! We hope as you read and look through the newsletter, you can reflect happily on your memories of the previous couple months but also look forward to what the rest of the year may bring us With the new year, we also have adopted a new theme for this term known as “Aquatics”. We cannot wait to see you at our upcoming general meetings and events for the rest of the term and remember, “Just Keep Serving”!
“I pledge to uphold the Objects of Circle K International, to foster compassion and goodwill toward others through service and leadership, to develop my abilities and the abilities of all people and to dedicate myself to the realization of humanity's potential.”
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Wow. It’s finally my turn to write a little love letter to Circle K. Where do I even begin? I started college in 2019 as a scared and unsure freshman. I was scared of change and unsure of how to really be myself There were lots of uncertainties when starting college: how to cook, how to make friends, and really, how to learn to start over. And so, I did the only thing I could: my best. I made terrible dishes - several very salty, gross noodles, went through a number of friend groups feeling unable to fit in, and had a rough time just getting accustomed to being on my own far away from my hometown friends and family. I had failed a lot of attempts to rid myself of those uncertainties. But then I met something special: Circle K. Moreover, it was the special people in this club that helped me see my many failures not as defeat but as stepping stones for getting to my full potential. And potential is all what Circle K is about.
Potential looks different for everyone. But for me, potential looked like learning how to make friends, tackling leadership positions, and more importantly, learning how to be advocates for others as much as myself. How did I learn that? Some of my closest friendships formed from just hanging out in the library basement and getting roasted on the Discord. My terms as VPS and President are amongst the highlights in my life. I came to highly value teamwork from learning how to work with different people, personalities, and situations - learning how to not handle everything alone. My passion for advocating for communities in need came from learning about personal stories from the people we helped I developed empathy and a personal connection with the communities we served.
There’s a lot that Circle K has to offer. A lot can happen in a year or four. From a small freshman in a big and sometimes scary world, I was able to build my own network of friends who I call family today I ran for positions that I never even thought I’d go for because people in the club believed in me. I am now able to put faces, names, and stories people to the communities I advocate for I’m grateful for my time in Circle K
As a graduating senior, I’m on my way out now, but the memories I made with this club have impacted me forever My advice for the next generation of CKI is to honestly just go out in the world and be yourself. Try your hand at running for positions, going out to events even if you don’t know anyone, and keep an open mind. Every opportunity you have is a chance to create something meaningful in your life and if you ’ re lucky enough, it could be a moment that will last a lifetime. You’re capable of anything.
Thank you to the 2021 2022 Simply Boba Board for encouraging me during chaotic times Thank you to my mentees Nathan Ocasio Cortizel Cortez, Justin Big Baby Bautista, and Zyrille The Fly Guy Abela for being my supportive little family. Finally, thank you to Circle K and everyone I was able to meet on my journey in this club. Thank you for everything you ’ ve taught and given me. I’ve been more than fortunate to be here.
Best wishes to the 2022-2023 board and to everyone who hopes to make their CKI moment and many more lovely moments in the club. It’s your time to shine!
2021-2022 President
My name is Edward Garcia and I’m proud to serve CSULB CKI as your president for the 2022 2023 term. I can’t believe how much we have accomplished in the first half of the term. With more than one thousand service hours, bringing back more in person events like NMI and Awake-a-thon, and having fun at club and family socials, this term has been a blast already. I’m also so proud of my board and how much we accomplished so far They work really hard behind the scenes from planning events and socials to coming up with new icebreakers for our general meetings. I hope to make your experience as a member enjoyable and memorable this year, whether you are a new or returning member. We’re more than halfway through the term, so let’s make these last couple months count!
Service with a Smile,
Vice President of Administration
Vice President of Service
AlfonxineChanelCao
KristenVanWagoner
LynnTran
YazidMakoon.Karaokenight.
The week of awesomeness karaoke event gave me a look into different sides of people that I would not see normally which was very fun to see. Karaoke is always a great event, especially when trying to get comfortable with newer people. It's a judgment free zone where everyone is just able to have fun and scream at the top of their lungs. It also gave us the opportunity to learn more about each others' music tastes and vocal skills which were especially refreshing.
CranesandCrafts.IzzieDelRosario.
The Week of Awesomeness cranes and crafts was the first CKI event I’ve ever attended. It was such a fun experience for me and everyone at the event was so welcoming The event took place at Signal Hill which is a really nice place to have the event and a lot of people, especially the new members, showed up. The current CKI members were very open and super friendly to all of us newcomers which made me feel super comfortable The service itself was very relaxing. Everyone made cranes for the first hour which were to be donated. Following that hour was the crafting. The chair of this event, Stephanie Hang, showed us how to paint so by the end of it everyone made some really nice paintings while making memories. Overall after the experience and meeting everyone, I remember feeling very positive that I was going to stay with the club.
Although Week of Awesomeness was towards the beginning of school, I was still tired from my classes. However, going to Board Game Night relieved me of my exhaustion, and having good laughs boosted my mood! I played several fun card games, ones that I forgot even existed and it was fun to have a chill competitive game. Even when taking breaks from the card games I was able to walk around and observe all the fun and nostalgic games being played The atmosphere itself was comforting and there was a table solely for talking for those burnt out from the games or from school (tea timee)! Afterward, there was an after social (two in one!!) at in n out I couldn’t make it, but it was fun nonetheless :)) I think my favorite part of this social was getting to know and see new faces which later became ones to stay <33
On November 1, 2022, we held a Soul Box Service Event. This is one of our newer tabletop service events that we brought out this term. Each box we made represents one life lost to gun violence. All the boxes made were donated to the Soul Box Project in which they make the boxes into art displays to promote awareness about gun violence. We all gathered in the Library Basement and Zoom to do the event. The event was very fun despite the boxes being a bit hard to fold from the origami paper We all followed a tutorial from the project’s website. Some of us worked in pairs as we needed to make the bottom and lid for the box. Overall, the whole event was really fun and we made about 15 boxes.
BeachSocial.IzzieDelRosario.
The beach social was my favorite event of Week of Awesomeness because I was able to get to know many of the CKI members while also being in a nice environment. When we got there, we all had to set up our spots, the tables, and the food. Once everyone arrived we then proceeded to do an icebreaker which helped the newcomers remember the current CKI members' names and vice versa. After that, we ate lunch and then proceeded to do various activities of whatever we wanted. Many people just sat and socialized while some went swimming or play football. Once it became dark, everyone sat around the bonfire, made smores, sang songs, and just talked about life This was my favorite part of the evening as everyone made me very included and really a part of the club. This was definitely the event that made me feel the most included out of all the events of Week of Awesomeness and where I got to meet the most people
Help Me Help You has always been one of my favorite service events! I’ve been going ever since my first year in the club, and it’s always refreshing to be able to ensure local families get the groceries they need. Lately, we ’ ve been coming out earlier to help out more with packaging fresh and canned food together before loading them up for handing them out I got to work on the fresh fruits and vegetables with some other friends and then got over to putting corn, green bean, and pineapple cans in a bundle We’re always blasting music and talking with each other while we working as a team so time
flies by fast! After packaging, we head over to a local elementary school in Long Beach to pass it all out before finishing the day Overall, one of my favorite local service events, and I hope to come out again!
NinMuny.
Color a Smile is a service event where we color coloring pages and we donate them to Senior Citizens, Our Troops Over Seas, and anyone in need of a smile! I enjoy this service event because it is very therapeutic and relaxing coloring. I like being able to listen to music that people share and converse with everyone during the event. It is also very fun to pick out which coloring pages you want to color and you can choose from a variety of holiday designs, characters, themes, etc. As an art student, it is cool to be able to just color and have fun with it. It is easy to use their website to use your pages and print them out. For me, I like outlining the pages with markers and then going in with my colored pencils to finish the rest Overall, it is a fun and relaxing event!!
Free Rice was an event that was both fun for those participating and helpful. After the club gathered in a zoom call, we worked individually to try and gain as many points by ourselves. For every correct question, 10 grains of rice are earned While we worked separately, everyone is logged into the same group so our rice is counted under the CSULB CKI group. There is a big variety of categories to choose from, some focusing on different languages like English, Spanish or Turkish. There are other categories focusing on science or math as well. My personal favorite categories are English vocabulary and multiplication tables Toward the end of the service event, we compared high scores and spent the remainder of the hour competing in the same category. Turkish was picked for the category as it was equally challenging for all the club members. The goal was to get the highest score by answering the most questions correctly.
LeahJohnson.
7 Cups in an online platform that provides counseling and therapy. The website connects people to listeners like us for free emotional support. I really enjoyed this event because we are able to interact with so many different people around the world. At first, it was a little nerve-wracking knowing that we were the ones trying to help someone and having to hold a conversation, but looking back it felt rewarding Being able to talk and connect with strangers with whom we know nothing about was very gratifying knowing that hopefully I was able to help them in some way big or small. After talking to more and more people, I found it easier to communicate and keep the conversations going. And after each session, each person shared how grateful they were that we were there to listen to their troubles and to help them and advise their way through their difficulties.
EdwardGarcia.
StephanieHang.
At the Literacy Fair in Long Beach's MacArthur Park, a group of us worked a booth with both Kiwanians and Key Clubbers. We laid out piles of books for children to take for free, as well as a little section behind the booth with chairs for them to read at. It was very exciting seeing little kids be enthusiastic about books because it’s something we don’t get to see much nowadays. There were also a large amount of children who spoke Spanish, so we also laid out a separate section of Spanish books for them. While we gave books out, the Kiwanians were working the booth next to us as we got to know the Long Beach Key Club volunteers. I even helped out one of the Kiwanians get a generator from a neighborhood for their booth and learned that she designed cards for Hallmark! Halfway through the event, the organizers gave us lunch tickets which gave us a free taco meal. This service event was different than the ones I have attended in the past, and I would definitely do it again.
This event has been one of my favorite service marathons that we have put on during this term. Hours of watching my favorite movies while doing service? Sign me up! From our favorite Disney movies like Lilo and Stitch to singing your lungs out to Mamma Mia, this service marathon gave me so much during the summer break. I went from living on campus to moving back home, so having this online version was so much fun because I still got to hang out with my friends from a distance. With service being one of my favorite tenets, I loved that we were doing service at the same time!! With it being a marathon, we had friends popping in and out during the day; some even stayed the whole time! Join the next service marathon our Vice President of Service and Service Projects Chair put on! Even better, participate in the planning of this type of event!
AlanVu.
Our day started with setting up the area, which included tents, tables, flags, and t shirts. The t shirts for volunteers are incredibly comfortable and soft and I use mine as a sleeping shirt Next, we were in charge of checking in runners so they got their bid number and merch before the race the next day. We were given phones that scanned registration QR codes and medals to wrap. It got a little hectic at the beginning because our phones weren't scanning half the time, so I had to dual wield multiple phones hoping it would work But once we got into the groove of things, it went swimmingly. The coordinators also gave us snacks and water. It was an easygoing event to get me back into volunteering with CKI!
KayannPoptipitak.
This was my first time volunteering at a food bank and it was a very fun experience! The job entailed packing boxes of food that would later be given to low income families and senior citizens. We were shown a training video and given gloves, then stationed at the assembly line. They had cubbies for us to put our belongings in It was very fast paced and interactive. The whole shift I was moving, whether that be from opening boxes of food products or at the conveyor belt packing the boxes. All the
volunteers and workers in the warehouse were nice and welcoming. They were helpful and encouraged us a lot. We were given breaks in between the shift and they provided us with plenty of snacks The hosts were even kind enough to enter all the volunteers into a raffle where you could win a prize at the end. In total, we managed to pack 1,680 kits. Now I look forward to those kinds of volunteering opportunities since this experience was such a good one. It required hard work and effort, but helping the cause was very rewarding and worth the time
The LA food bank occurs inside a big distribution center where we assemble food packages for over twenty thousand low income seniors, women with infants, and children in Los Angeles County. For the event, half of us lined up by a conveyor belt to put packaged foods like rice, peanut butter, corn, and tomatoes into boxes. We were each in charge of putting one food item in the box. So the person at the front end opened and assembled the box, passing it onto the first person who put cans of corn in, then passed it along the conveyor belt to the next person who would put cans of peanut butter in, and so on until all the items were packed to the top to be sealed and taped and ready to ship off. The other half of us helped in the back assembling and restocking the food items for easy access to the people in front assembling the items in the boxes. Overall, we assembled over 1,000 boxes for those in need.
NathanCortez. past semester, our board continued to hold weekly meetings via Zoom to discuss club business, provide positional/project updates, and plan out future events. Serious business was not always the defining feature of board meetings, however, as they also provided opportunities for officers to bond with one another and, thus, strengthen their bonds. I can personally attest to this, as some of my favorite memories in CKI were made during our board meetings! And though these meetings occurred mostly behind the scenes, their importance should certainly not be discounted Much of what members experience in the club are the result of decisions made during board meetings, so if ever the opportunity arises to attend one if you ’ re just curious or maybe considering becoming an officer in the future I encourage you to check it out!
Keeping a club together and organized can definitely be a challenge With both an executive and appointed board tasked to help with this, and at the helm of CSULB CKI, regularly
scheduled board meetings are essential functions of our club's leadership that help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the club itself is being steered in the right direction. Throughout this
LeahJohnson.
General meetings are a weekly event where we all gather to get our fill of CKI I love going to meetings because I get to hang out and interact with the members of the club. It’s always a highlight of the day catching up with members and talking about our days and life in general. Every meeting, we have specific themes so it’s always fun dressing up to match it. In addition, every general meeting, we start off with icebreakers which are always fun. It’s always fun to play quick and fun games which of course breaks the ice Then throughout the meeting, we discuss club updates, upcoming events happening throughout the week, and recap events that occurred from the past week General meetings are also really great because I see new members every time so I get to interact and meet members with whom I haven’t had the chance to talk to yet.
BritneyMi.
Beach
JulianaDeJoya.
KristenVanWagoner.
The Spring Training Conference was a fun and memorable event. It was held at CSUF, and I was excited about that because this would be my second time going to that campus. They served breakfast and lunch to us too, and we got to sit and talk with other CKI members. I learned a lot about different topics like photography and my tasks as the Vice President of Service. The PowerPoint presentations were insightful and helpful. I could tell everyone put a lot of effort into preparing their presentations Everyone was very friendly too and happily answered any questions that I had. We also played games in the beginning of the event, and I met a lot of new people, including VPS’s from other schools. Throughout the day, it was nice that we got to choose which workshops we wanted to go to. I would definitely go to this event again.
FatimaCruz.
StephanieHang.
LillianOn. parties. The food served was delicious, and it was great to meet new people and catch up with old ones from other schools. I also got the chance to grow closer friendships with our own club’s members as we stayed up late talking and shed happy tears during awards night as we received our club’s awards As a graduated senior, this was my first and, sadly, last DCON; I was grateful for the opportunity to fall down the rabbit hole and attend this event. I would definitely recommend every member attend this event at least once
The District Convention is an annual three day and two night event hosted by the Cal Nev Ha district where clubs in the CNH come together and celebrate all our accomplishments and hard work for the term. The 2022 District Convention was a memorable weekend filled with both educational and fun workshops, talent acts, a spicy house of delegates, and late night activities I found the Wonderland themed event and decorations to be quite adorable, just as wandering home to CNH was a nice home away from home. The event was very organized and wholesome, while also being the maddest of tea
The pets, puzzles, and potluck events were so much fun! It was one of the first events we had in person as the club moved to hybrid events. It was great to catch up with people and see them off a computer screen. We went to El Dorado park and spent the evening with some of our members' dogs. It was so cute seeing them all interact as we had small dogs and really big dogs. The food was also really good. We had a charcuterie board, Jollibee, and a cake as it was our member Simon’s birthday! Instead of puzzles we decided to be more active and play sports to include the pets. We kept the pets in a cage but they were jumping over the cage and whining. We played badminton, volleyball, and football. In all, I hope we host this event again so more members can bring their pets and I can play with them.
TaylorGirard.
This was my first in person social as a family head and it was so fun! I was so happy to finally meet all of my family members after being online for over a semester Even though I am a vegetarian, it was still fun watching everybody struggle to cook the meats at KBBQ while I ate rice and miso soup. Afterwards we went to a Baskin Robbins that was nearby, and we talked outside for what felt like a really long time I was super tired at the end of the night, but I was still so happy to have finally met so many of my family members in person and to have time to really bond and talk with everyone. This was also one of the last events we did as a family, and while I am sad that we did not have more in person events, I hold this event dearly in my heart.
ElaineVuong.
KobyWu.
The end of the year banquet was a bittersweet event Celebrating and recognizing all of the accomplishments the club, its members, and board members have done throughout the 21 22 term. While also giving a warm welcome to the new board for the 22 23 term I got to retire as the treasurer and was installed as the club’s secretary for the new term so it was an exciting time. There was a bunch of prizes, awards, ice breakers and much more throughout the night too! My favorite part was watching the old and new Eboard dance and sing.
SimonDo.
Attending Long Beach Day was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while. Have you ever spent twelve hours socializing around Long Beach’s shoreline? Probably not, because you’re sane. I remember Long Beach Day like it was yesterday. The event was full of exciting activities such as shopping at the Pike, taking a ferry, attending a night event at the aquarium, and even eating at Hooters (mid)! Personally, I think that I’m pretty introverted, so to my surprise the best and most cherished part of my day was the people I got to meet and make bonds with. At the time, I was a very inactive member so it was natural for me to be hesitant about spending half a day with people I wasn’t very familiar with. To my relief, everyone that attended the event was very welcoming, which made my experience very comfortable and enjoyable. In short, Long Beach Day is not your typical event, it’s better, and if the opportunity were to resurface, I would go again without hesitation.
LenoreFabiyi.
You know what sounds good right now? Some boba. What better way to satisfy that craving while ALSO helping support the best club that is Circle K International and its interests. Since the boba shop, Cha for Tea is so close to the school, it’s such an easy way to contribute as club members; you could easily bring your non member friends along with you and strongly encourage them to become a member after they see what a vibe this club is. The event itself felt so little like a fundraiser and so much like a fellowship event. I think that’s one of the beauties of this club; when you ’ re alongside your friends who are working toward a common goal, it feels nothing like a chore but more like hanging out. However, it doesn’t diminish what we ’ re doing seeing that our focus of raising money for great causes is 100% still present I’d say this was a good old fashioned fundraiser that will never get old.
JustinBautista.
What better way to spend a hot, summer day than with your friends (online!) We avoided the blazing heat and had a fun, impromptu online social! At our "Ultimate Game Night", 5 of us spent time playing the popular online game "Gartic Phone " Nin, Kip, Julianna, Jasmine, and I competed in various minigames that required us to act fast and use our creative thinking caps. We started with playing the "Normal" game mode where players must draw pictures based on random prompts and also caption other players' drawings based on what they see. My favorite game mode that we played was called "Animation". With no prompts given, we each began drawing a random picture that would serve as the first frame of our animations. Then, we all contributed to each other's animations by adding our frames and altering the course of the story. It was hilarious seeing how each of our initial images depicted a series of unpredictable events and even cliffhangers. Overall, the online social brought many laughs and joy during the summer! Catch me on Gartic Phone because this is one of my favorite games. Thank you to Jasmine and Julianna for cohosting this fun, exciting social!
LeahJohnson.
Ultimate last man standing is a tradition for CSULB CKI during our finals week. This year it was hosted both in person and online. We hung out in the basement and on zoom from 12pm - 12am each day during the entirety of the week. It’s always a fun time seeing everyone in the basement. We spend time studying but also take study breaks and play games or get boba. There were always different members in the basement everyday, so it was fun getting to bond and hang out with everyone while getting work done! This is a memorable event because we all kept each other company while finishing off the semester strong. Everyone would bring a bunch of snacks down and we would munch as we got our work done We would take study breaks and watch shows on the T.V.s in the basement or go out to get food. Ultimate Last Man Standing is definitely the event at the end of the year to participate in and I encourage every member to attend!
