PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Hello everyone, I understand that a lot of you may be overwhelmed with the transition to online settings, the presence of political and social movements, the burden of the pandemic, etc. Trust me I'm in the same situation as you all are, but I just wanted to come on here and give you all a friendly reminder that you are incredibly loved. Whitney Key Club still remains very active when it comes to its service hours and to me, a club with such passion and dedication is the motivating factor behind so many of my actions. Normally I write articles giving you guys a report of the month, but I thought that in these times a report wouldn't really help anyone and it would be much more heartfelt to receive a personal message.

When I started this club 3 years ago I was a freshman, not shy, but definitely not present within the school. I stuck to my close group of friends and performed well in school, but beyond that, it was just me. I found a huge part of myself within this organization that I call my second home and it has given me so much foundation and so much experience that could never have been derived elsewhere. It has also given me a support system, a purpose, and the family which you are all a part of. I went to my first service event being close to only one person, Ayaan Ekram, who I still work very close with, and am amazing friends with, however through the years I have developed a strong relationship with a large amount of individuals inside Whitney and out.

When I was younger, I went to a school where it wasn't really normal to put academics first, it wasn't normal to serve the community, and it definitely wasn't normal to be a female of my ethnicity striving to be more than the stereotypical prototype. I wasn’t normal. But in Key Club I found my niche, I found where I belong. Values and ideals that are very important to me, hold great importance in the eyes of others. Being selfless should be a natural-born trait, but unfortunately that is not the case. Overtime I have realized that, but I also realized that when you are part of an organization like Key Club you find others who make you believe in the good in people. It is all of you who have replenished that hope. In this term, if I fail at everything else, the one thing that I have set my heart up to do is make everyone feel accepted, and to make everyone feel like they have a sense of purpose.

There is no greater feeling than knowing your worth and the power that you have to make change. These past couple of weeks have been very heavy to say the least, but you all have been the light at the end of my tunnel. Seeing the service that you all dedicate, your passions, and your willingness to overcome barriers is quite astonishing from any angle. So thank you Key Club. For everything.