PRESIDENTIAL SPOTLIGHT: SAN GABRIEL KEY CLUB

DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH KEY CLUB

My first encounter with Key Club was in the beginning of my sophomore year, when a close friend of mine urged me to join. At first, I was doubtful of my decision to join Key Club as at San Gabriel, our Key Club was dying to say the least as membership and engagement had plummeted in recent years. Emboldened by my passion for service and the love that I had gained for Key Club, I decided to run for the position of Public Relations Officer in hopes of revitalizing our home club. However, at the very beginning of my term, the Covid-19 pandemic had struck the world at full force and our 2020-2021 cabinet was faced with new challenges and obstacles to convert Key Club to a virtual platform. Using the state of the world to our advantage, myself and a few of my fellow officers, Lina, Katie, Selena and Ruby, had set the direction for our Key Club as we took on many initiatives including teaching ourselves how to make beautiful graphics and flyers, growing and managing our new online platforms, as well as finding ways to engage with members through club social events and general meetings. It was safe to say that during our quarantine term, Key Club had reestablished its name at San Gabriel, and I had successfully revitalized our club with the help of my wonderful officers and advisor.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME YOUR CLUB’S PRESIDENT?

Key Club had become one of my top priorities over the course of my high school career, especially during quarantine as I had taken on many initiatives as an officer, so it was only natural that I was not ready to let it go. It was all due to Key Club that I had experienced tremendous growth as a student and a leader but most importantly, my passion for service and leadership had only grown stronger as well. And although I had achieved my goal of revitalizing our home club, all I could see in front of me was all the work that had to be done to strengthen our club even further and build a legacy to maintain Key Club for future terms. With the support of my friends and my fellow cabinet officers, I decided to run for the role of President and I was able to earn the position.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT YOUR TERM, WHAT DO YOU HOPE COMES OUT OF IT?

In the first few months of my term, my cabinet and I have focused on creating strong structural foundations for our club to build on in future terms including organizational practices for keeping track of club records, setting specific graphic standards and training our officers to have proficient skills to produce graphics, as well as clearly defining the tasks and roles of each officer. I am incredibly proud of the internal work that we have done as a cabinet, but for the next half of our term, we will be focusing on external activities that specifically focus on our members. Our many plans include offering more incentives to recruit and retain members like opportunities to earn graduation stoles and cords, offering monthly member recognition, creating a more fun and inviting environment at general meetings with icebreakers and prizes, and much more! I have many goals and expectations planned for this term and I am determined to execute them to the best of my abilities.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC, ANY SONGS YOU LIKE RIGHT NOW?

I really enjoy pop music, hip-hop and rap music, but of those genres, I especially like K-Pop, K-R&B, J-Pop and J-R&B. My favorite K-Pop groups are EXO, SHINEE, Red Velvet, and Twice. As for K-R&B, my favorite artists are Dream Perfect Regime, Heize, Dean, and Crush. My favorite song at the moment is Think About by Kylesimps.