A Leader’s Journey Through Key Club A peak into the life of a high school leader
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By Leanna Chun
anuary 24, 2020. After months of back-and-forth emails and non-stop anxiousness, the grand plan had finally come to fruition. She scrambled around the high school campus getting donation boxes ready, folding the flyers, and having T-Shirts passed out to the performers and volunteers. For the first tim e, all of the performing arts, including orchestra, band, Dance Spectrum, choir, and theatre, all gathered in the gym for a special performance known as the Benefit Concert, to raise money for the Pediatric Trauma Program. Families and friends
from all around the area noisily crowded the entrance of the gym before the doors were finally opened at 7 pm. The concert was a huge success— raising over $4,200 for the Pediatric Trauma Program with only donations, and uniting two of her passions: music and Key Club. As Madeline Cheng, or as her friends call her, Maddie, stepped on top of the bleachers, a wave of relief and achievement swept her body as she gave a final speech before the memorable night came to an end.
Maddie Cheng, is a Junior at Mountain View High School and a dedicated member of Key Club. Key Club is the largest student-led community service organization, spanning over 38 countries with around 270,000 members. This term, she is the newly elected Lieutenant Governor of her home division, and her main task is to lead 10 Key Clubs from schools throughout the Bay Area. Additionally, she will represent the division on a larger level, the district level, and provide news and updates to each club. The district Maddie is a part of is the California-Nevada-Hawaii District, which encompasses every Key Clubs from the three states. Her work for this upcoming term is crucial in ensuring all clubs in her division stay active, organized, and updated. Maddie vividly remembers the day she first joined Key Club when she was only a Freshman. Her school hosts Club Rush
each year, an opportunity for each club to attract new members for the upcoming school year. She distinctly remembers Key Club standing out to her, but not because she was particularly excited about a community service club. She said, “They showed up, all decked out in purple... and they had a bunch of what we call spirit s ticks...but I knew them to be these giant sticks with penguins in them”. Without much thought, Maddie just signed up for the club, only knowing it was a community service club and apparently that they liked the color purple. “I had no idea what Key Club didn’t know anything. But as soon as I went to the first meeting, I knew that this was something that I could definitely roll with, with all their opportunities and again all their spirit that I saw from the very first day”.
After only one school year of being a member of the club, Maddie decided to run for president. “I ran for President of my home club, and somehow got it! I can’t believe people didn’t vote ‘no confidence’ in this random freshman, but I was very grateful for that”. Shockingly the membership level of her home club rose of by over 50% at the end of her first term. This was one factor that contributed to earning her home club a Diamond Distinguished award, of which there were only 11 given within the entire California-Nevada-Hawaii District during the 19-20 term. Nearing the end of her sophomore year, she decided to not only run for President of her home club again, but also for the Service Projects Coordinator position on the Division Leadership Team. Applying for the Division Leadership Team would be a step up since the division encompasses 10 schools, not just her home school. Consistent with the talented, capable leader she is, she received both positions.
Now currently I hold the esteemed Lieutenant Governor position of the division which I am very very honored to say. It’s like... ever since I was a President I was always thinking, you know that’d be so cool. I would love to be able to serve on a division/district level”.
At the end of her Junior year, Maddie ran for the highly esteemed but intimidating Lieutenant Governor position of the division. If elected, she would instruct 10 Key Clubs near her home school and represent each club on a larger district level. “It’s definitely a huge commitment. I think it just felt like for the most part to me a natural step coming from a member, and then becoming a club officer, and being a division officer. It’s just I really enjoy serving on this division level”. On January 23, 2021, Maddie was elected as the Lieutenant Governor.
As the newly elected Lieutenant Governor, Maddie eagerly awaits this upcoming term, as service projects will shift to being in-person, rather than over Zoom. In her election speech, she noted some of her goals. One of the benefits of volunteering is that it provides an easy way to make new friends by bonding over a shared activity together. Inspired by the friendly intimacy of another close division, Maddie hopes to break down the walls and foster a more casual environment. Although, after this term ends and everyone in the class of twenty two graduates, Maddie doesn’t plan to leave all of her experiences behind her. She stated, “I’d like to take all that and be able to translate it to some of the things I want to do in the future such as work in arts leadership, and I’m really really grateful for Key Club for giving me these experiences”. She plans to utilize the leadership and organizational skills that Key Club helped her develop for her future in and beyond college.
However, for now, Maddie will focus all of her attention on her work in Key Club to ensure this term is a memorable one for her as well as the entire division. As Covid-19 restrictions loosen and more events are held in person, one thing Maddie really looks forward to is to participate in another round of Special Games, an event where volunteers and disabled persons of all ages gather for friendly competitions and lively training opportunities. Maddie recalls this event as her fondest service event because of the eye-opening experience she had with a boy who swam up to her requesting his time for laps in the pool. He screamed for joy when she told him, as it must’ve been a personal best. “It’s truly such an incomparable experience getting to work directly with the people you’re trying to help”. She continued, “Maybe it’s selfish, but I love getting to share these experiences, to know that I’m a part of them, and knowing that this organization, or Key Club, can do that for so many people”.
About The Author
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eanna Chun is a Junior at Mountain View High School and a student at Freestyle Academy. She has lived in California her whole life with her mom, dad, younger brother, and pet chickens. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, hanging out with friends, and watching Youtube.