Southwest Sun November/December 2012

Volume 1 Issue 5 November/December 2012 Cover photo courtesy of Circle K International, Flickr

In this issue!

Page 2-5 District Updates Page 7 Eliminate Chairman Update Page 9 SUB B Trustee, Ryan Ocampo Page 10 Greetings from PNW

Page 12-14 Club Articles Page 15 Congratulations Page 16 Announcements Page 17 Final Words

Hello Amazing CKIers!

November is K-Family month! Have you shown appreciation for your sponsoring Kiwanis Club, have you done a project with the local Key Club or Builders Club, or have you been planning a large winter social for December? Every month should be K-Family month!

Last month, I was lucky enough to attend a Key Leader event with the Key Clubbers from the Southwest.

Key Leader is a weekend packed with leadership activities and fellowship. The weekend activities are based on 5 principles: Respect, Personal Integrity, Personal Growth, Building Community, and the Pursuit of Excellence. I would like to call on our CKI groups in the Southwest to build our community by sponsoring or encouraging a Key Club member or high schooler to attend the next event in March at Kamp Kiwanis! For more information please email me at pedersonkelsae@yahoo.com.

Good luck with finals and have a wonderful holiday season!

Kelsae Pederson SWD CKI District Treasure & K-Family Relations Chair

REMINDER District and International Dues are due December 1st Photo Courtesy of: Bob Kitchen 2

Hello Everyone, Hope you all had an awesome time at Fall Rally. I’d like to say how great of a job everyone did at this years service project! I’m pleased to say how awesome every club has been doing, turning in their hours, has well as doing as many service projects they can to better serve the community. I’m proud for the little clubs for kicking it off with a good start to get their clubs going. We are only half-way through the semester and most clubs are hitting over 100 service hours per month! It’s great to see everyone’s dedication this semester. Thanks!

Jeanette Flores SWD Secretary

Check out the November CKI Magazine 3

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New Mexico, El Paso Division Submitted by: Katie Merrill , New Mexico, Texas Lieutenant Governor Hello fellow CKI members! I hope all of your semesters are going well and that you all had a special Thanksgiving.

Here is an update about what is going on around the state of New Mexico in CKI! At Eastern New Mexico University, the club has been very busy over the last month doing service. They took part in Habitat for Humanity on two weekends and also cleaned fire trucks and did a mile clean up with the Kiwanis Club. They had four people attend Fall Rally. They also had their Spaghetti Dinner on November 16, which raises money for DCON and the ELIMINATE project. They are now in the process of planning for the spring and having a Christmas Social before the end of the semester.

UNM has been busy this month. In October, they took part in Trick or Treat for UNICEF, Make A Difference Day, Fall Rally, and the Balloon Fiesta. They started out November with a UNICEF Bake Sale on November 3rd.

They recently volunteered at Joy Junction (a Family Homeless Shelter) and they will take part in Hanging of the Greens at the end of December.

Members at New Mexico State University have also been busy. They took part volunteering on Aggie Experience Day and the Halloween Howl, a children’s carnival. They are taking part in an activity called Junior Achievement in the near future in which they volunteer to teach lesson plans to elementary students.

Western New Mexico University has been very busy. They attended Fall Rally with four officers. On October 5th, they took part in the First Friday Downtown Silver City community evening where they had a table for youth crafts and handed out reading materials to promote child literacy. They served food to WNMU alumni for Homecoming. They took part in WNMU Spooktacular Halloween carnival and UNICEF Trick-or-Treat. They adopted a Terrific Kids program at Jose Barrios Elementary School and present monthly student recognitions.

Over the next month, they plan to do Bell Ringing with the Kiwanis club, plan a charter night, and plan a service project with another club on campus.

Arizona Division Submitted by: Kevin Wright Greetings SWD, Not too much to report except there has been a lot of work towards DCON. This year DCON will be in Flagstaff, Arizona at the Little America Hotel from February 22 -24th. The theme this year is James Bond, so get ready to enjoy DCON with a classy twist. Even though there are quite a few people from the district assisting me with this, if anyone is interested in being on the committee or assisting me in any way please send me a quick email at kwright.swdcki@gmail.com or give me a call at 702.860.0917.

Lastly, just so everyone knows, the weather in Flagstaff is like an IPod on shuffle, you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Flagstaff is one of those places where you could easily experience all four seasons in a matter of a few hours, so be prepared for anything. I hope to see as many people as possible and I can’t wait for you all to arrive in Flagstaff!

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CKI <Southwest District> Southwest Sun

Castle of Cans Submitted by: Betsy Arias, ASU Bulletin Editor On November 15th ASU CKI held the annual event Castle of Cans. It was a great success! ASU CKI along with other organizations helped collect cans and non-perishable foods and items to build castles on Hayden Lawn to raise awareness. All the cans will go to St. Mary’s Food Bank, which is the first food bank in the world! St. Mary’s Food Bank is located in Phoenix and not only do the items donated go to the food bank but ASU CKI also volunteers to create food packages there about once a month. The packages are sent to soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior centers, low income schools along with families that need them.

During Castle of Cans CKI members also helped raise awareness by spreading the word with signs and asking for donations. As our President Erin Lin states, “Thank you to everyone that helped make this event so successful!

We rose over 2,200 items of non-perishable food items and $190 to donate to St. Mary’s Food Bank which help them provide 760 meals! We will let you know the poundage once we find out!”

ASU CKI at Castle of Cans Photo Courtesy of Betsy Arias 6

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CKI <Southwest District> Southwest Sun

CKI Lesson K-Kids Young Leaders Helping Others kiwansikids.org In K-Kids clubs worldwide, more than 36,000 children are learning leadership through service. They’re taking on the responsibility for running a K-Kids club as they plan and participate in community service projects. They assist the elderly with chores or organize community food drives. They serve their schools, raising funds for sports equipment and extracurricular activities.

In big and small ways, they’re changing the world around them. But the most significant change happens in the kids themselves.

“Being a K-Kid means a lot to me. I learned that people need help out there more than people think.

That’s why there are K-Kids!”— Haley, Coats Elementary School K-Kids Club K-Kids 101 Moto: We Build Objectives:  To provide opportunities for working together in service to school and community  To develop leadership potential  To foster the development of strong moral character  To encourage loyalty to school, community and nation Vision: To develop competent, capable, caring leaders through the vehicle of service Mission: K-Kids in an international student-led organization providing members with opportunities to perform service, build character and develop leadership.

Can you find the core Clues can be found at kiwanskids.org values of K—Kids?

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A Message From Sub B Trustee Ryan Ocampo Greetings Mighty Southwest District!

Sub B Trustee Ryan here, and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know that you are all having a hard time staying awake to read this due to coma-inducing leftovers, or maybe you are trying to work out all that food, but let me take a second to tell you how grateful I am to YOU. Let's be real here; I'm getting old. When I was out there for your District Fall Rally "The Serving Dead" I felt so much energy and passion from your group. No wonder I was tagged early on in the HvZ game and turned into a zombie. But really, what I'm referring to is that I'm an old member, and for me, I'm grateful for all the potential LEADERS that I saw. Besides the service, every year my favorite events are recruitment and conventions because I get to see all the new prospective members and leaders, the new life-blood of the club.

I'm an International officer, and I've served on pretty much every level of CKI. First, the ever important Member, the ones who bring in fresh ideas and energy to meetings and projects. We are impacted and learn most from the club officers. Then I was Vice President serving with the rest of my club executive board to run the daily functions of the club. I then took the daunting responsibility of Club President, proudly becoming the face of the club and the leader for my home CKI. I served briefly on a District Committee, a specialized group to help put together initiatives for the district. For example, I was part of the District Service Committee, and my team helped organize Large Scale Service Projects for the District and come up with a Service Manual resource for clubs. Now, I serve as your Subregion B Trustee, and I am the liaison between the three districts under my jurisdiction, including Southwest, and the International Board. All these years of unforgettable experiences helped shape me into the leader I am today (for better or worse) So why does this concern you? I'm sure watching the turkey roast in your oven sounds more exciting than my gushing of my past experiences. As you probably know, DCON is just around the corner and ICON will be upon us too! Not to mention club elections... I think I can speak for any current officer that we are grateful for the energy and passion you members bring to the club, and we want you to continue our legacy. Take on our responsibilities and make your year so much better than ours. And for you current club or district officers, consider moving up a level. Your first hand experience with clubs can help you on the district or even international level.

Once again, it is an amazing opportunity to serve this great club. Unless you have some lame excuse like "I'm graduating" (cough cough Elissia) or "I need to focus on my GPA", please consider it. And for those of you who are already like "hell yes, I'm gonna run and I'm gonna rock at it!" GOOD! My advice is to talk to the people who are in the position already. Ask them questions and be ready to learn their responsibilities. We WANT you to take our positions and be better at it, so don't be shy!

This year, I am thankful for the leaders of this club. For the leaders who made my freshman experience so awesome. The leaders who helped me develop me into how I am today. And the leaders to come, like yourselves, who will give CKI their all to follow our tenets service, fellowship, and leadership.

Thank you to all you future heroes.

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Greetings from PNW Hello Southwest District!

My name is Miranda Estes and I am the District Governor for the Pacific Northwest CKI. I am also the Co-Host chair for this year’s International Convention in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. I will be Co-Hosting with Daniel Lee the Western Canada District Governor. Pacific Northwest (PNW) is made up of Alaska, Western Canada (British Columbia), Washington, Oregon, a sliver of Northern California and the Idaho panhandle.

Although I love having such a variety of clubs in my district, as you can imagine, travel is quite difficult. We only make it up to Alaska once a year and they only make it down for District convention.

I am so excited this year, to get to host International Convention in my district! We are so excited for you all to come here and experience the Pacific Northwest (rain and all!). Now is the time to begin your planning. I hope you have realized that going to Vancouver, BC means crossing the US/Canada border. Although it is not difficult it does mean you will need your passport. I have been hearing that the process for getting or renewing a passport has been slow lately, so start your planning now!

A few other things to keep in mind...Canada does in fact have a different currency. Many places will accept US credit/debit cards but I highly suggest planning to get some Canadian currency for spending at local stores and to have on hand at those locations that do not accept US (Canada money is also very pretty).

Check with your bank to see if they have a sister-bank in Canada, that will allow you to use their ATMs at no charge. You should also look into your cell phone plan. Mine for instance, charges me for texts and phone calls made while in Canada. They charge to both receive and send, and I also have to sign-up for an international data plan, which means no Facebook. Keep this in mind when you’re planning and looking into what your cell phone provider offers.

A little tip for planning your travel arrangements, flying into Canada can be a little costly because it is an international flight. One way to avoid this is to fly into Seattle, WA and take a bus over the border.

Greyhound, Amtrack and the new Bolt bus (which offers WiFi) are all fantastic options for your international travel. These range in price depending on the day of travel and time so again, start your planning soon! You of course can also get a rental car or look into other shuttle options. The host committee will also be looking into this to help CKI members save money, keep your eye out for more information to come. International convention feel so far away but it will be here before you know it. I know for me at least, the last few months of school have flown by (thankfully) and finals are quickly approaching. Start the little planning now, so that you can enjoy your DCON and get yourself and fellow CKI’ers excited for ICON 2013.

I’m so excited to meet all of you wonderful people at International Convention and welcome you to the usually raining, but always gorgeous Pacific Northwest! Be sure to bring your light rain jackets (yes, June is still our rainy season). If you have any questions please feel free to contact me! I lived in Washington all my life and absolutely love it! Vancouver is a beautiful city, I am sure you all will enjoy exploring! Make sure to take the time to explore your host city and enjoy the culture!

See you in Vancouver, Miranda Estes PNW CKI District Governor governorpnw@gmail.com 10

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Continued Courage Submitted by: John McMullen, UA President A special event at the U of A CKI is a simple yet rewarding one. CKI members in our club volunteer with Beads of Courage. We have worked with this organization for many years now, mostly by putting together bead kits. Beads of Courage started with a simple idea to combine arts and medicine.

Starting as a Kiwanis project, this organization has grown to serve thousands of children in 6 countries.

Beads are given to children during their journey to mark each step they take with a chronic disorder they have. Each bead that is given represents something that the child has gone through, for example a red bead for a blood transfusion, a yellow bead for an overnight stay.

Our club holds beading nights once-a-month during our meetings. We also help out at many of their events; this organization has become a favorite of the UA CKI. It is a rewarding experience to know that the beads we package will brighten up the day of a child. Although they go through things that no child should have to experience, they do not necessarily see that side of what they are going through.

A couple of the members that volunteer at the University Medical Center are able to see the faces of the children we are helping, and they are inspired by the positive attitudes! We fill that our work fulfills all three tenants of CKI; we do service to our community, we build friendship as we serve, and we are leaders by taking action to meet a need of the community.

Members volunteering at the Tucson Electric Power (TEP) Bead Night Photo Courtesy of John McMullen 12

LEADERSHIP

ENMU Eliminates MNT

FELLOWSHIP

Submitted by: Meghan Pearce, ENMU President During the month of November ENMU Circle K has been working hard for our annual spaghetti dinner. This event helps us raise money for our dues and the Eliminate Project. On November 16th at the Portales Memorial Center ENMU CKI hosted the our annual spaghetti dinner: we had meat and vegetarian spaghetti sauce, and a gluten-free option.

SERVICE

The ENMU Jazz Combo also played at our event. The ticket were $5, with $2 going to The Eliminate Project and $3 to our club dues.

Our club really benefits from this event and we love including the community.

We had a lot of students and Kiwanians attend this event, members from the Clovis Kiwanis Club also were in attendance.

LEADERSHIP

FELLOWSHIP

Gettin’ Crafty with Service Submitted by : Rebecca Holub, NAU President

This month, Circle K International at Northern Arizona University is getting crafty with their service. They volunteered at the annual Holiday Craft Fair at NAU. This craft fair took place on Friday, November 16 and Saturday November 17. As volunteers, members of CKI helped with everything from the entry booth to Santa pictures.

The crafts at the fair were handmade, which makes them all unique. The craft fair isn’t only a great way for Flagstaff residents and students to get holiday shopping out of the way; all raffle tickets sold, entry fees, and merchant fees are donated to United Way of Northern Arizona to support other non-profit organizations in town. CKI doesn’t only give back to their community, they help others give back as well.

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SERVICE Miss a webinar or just want to listen again?

Below is a list of:

2012-2013 previously recorded webinars * How to Spice Up Your Meeting * Back-to-school tips to growing your club, and keep it strong! * All in the Family...The Kiwanis Family

2011-2012 previously run webinars *Recruitment, Retention, and Revitalization *CKI Falalalala Service Spectacular *Branching out to the Kiwanis Family *A Feel for the Fee *Pave the way for Circle K: Recruitment, Retention, Revitalization

Western’s Spooktackular Halloween Submitted by: Serina Pack, WNMU President WNMU CKI is dedicated to the tenant of service. Though we may be small, we try to do much service.

Recently we had a booth at the annual children’s Spooktackular Halloween Carnival where more than 300 area youth attended. Dressed in costumes, not only did we host a bean-bag toss game and collected donations for UNICEF, we teamed up with Literacy Link Leamos and Read for Joy Program to help distribute more than 300 books to children along with reading Highlight magazines. President, Serina Pack, had contacted the company and had asked for out-of-date issues be donated to our project to help encourage children to read more. She received more than 1000 copies filled with great reading activities that families can do together with their children. We even have some left for our next literacy event. The overall carnival was very successful and the theme of a “book walk” instead of a “cake walk” and giving prizes for the bean bag toss with reading magazines was a huge hit.

Our club also participated in Fall Rally—The Serving Dead (Serina Pack, Brandon Cook, Lacey Oldman, and Robert Pack). Several of our members have been very active in the community working with youth, promoting positive self-esteem through a workshop, and speaking about patriotism. We went out as a club at participated in trick-or-treat for UNICEF. It was very successful going out the week before and putting out door hangers ahead of time for the homes we visited on Halloween, as people knew we were coming and the purpose of our service project. Our club has also adopted a Terrific Kid’s school and presented certificates to outstanding youth at Jose Barrios Elementary. Service is definitely a part of our tenants as we work to grow our new club. A sincere thanks is extended to Lori Bonomo, Kiwanis Club of Silver City--WNMU CKI Kiwanis Advisor for all of her support, Dr. Cline our WNMU faculty sponsor and Bob Carson, SWD.

Photos include 1 (left to right, Bob Carson-CKI Southwest District Administrator, Lacey Oldham-WNMU CKI Secretary, youth participant, and Serina Pack-WNMU CKI President) Photo 2 (Serina Pack, WNMU CKI President with youth participant).

Photo Courtesy of Serina Pack

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SWD CKI Graduating Senior Each month the Southwest Sun will highlight not only a current CKI member but also a past member. If you know of any CKI members or alumni please send nominations to SWD Editor Elissia Torres. Nominations include members name, CKI club, a short biography and contact information Southwest Sun (SWS): Tell us a little about yourself Elissia Torres (ET): My name is Elissia Julia Torres, I’m graduating from the University of New Mexico on December 14th. I will be receiving a BA in English and Mass Communications. My concentrations are professional writing and strategic communications.

SWS: Have you held any leadership roles in CKI, if so which ones?

ET: Yes, my first leadership role in CKI was member, than in 2011-2012 I was club secretary and this year I am lucky enough to serve as the Southwest District Bulletin Editor.

SWS: How has CKI helped you grow as an individual?

ET: CKI has helped me grow into the person I am today. CKI has pushed me into becoming a better leader, if it wasn’t for the members of my home club nominating me for secretary and believing that with a full plate of extra-curricular activities I can still become a distinguished secretary, I would have never run for district.

SWS: What are/were the benefits that CKI has given you the opportunity to have?

ET: Some of the greatest benefits of joining CKI is meeting people like you (yeah, you the one who’s reading this article). Joining CKI I never would have imagined traveling to international and district conventions. During my time in CKI I had my first long road-trip (NOLA) and went to my first major league baseball game.

SWS: What was your vision of CKI when you first joined?

ET: When I first joined CKI, I knew a little of what to expect. I had received this letter in the mail inviting me to a club, with a little help from my friend Google I found the CKI website and decided to join.

SWS: What is your favorite CKI memory?

ET: One of my favorite memories was when Omar, Adrian and I went to Portales, NM for ENMU’s chartering ceremony. We surprised them with roses and Oxford the Owl, who was dressed in Lobo gear. During this trip I also learned the definition of gravity.

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CKI <Southwest District> Southwest Sun

¡Holla!

Send a short message to members or to the district to be featured in the Southwest Sun SERVICE HOUR HOLLA

ated imin l E Total district you hours completed ave h WD since How April ? - S 2,478 S N MT

Total district hours completed for the month of October 808 hours Congratulations Omar for Congratulations ASU for theSecreceiving Distinguished most service for the month retaryhours at ICON

Announcements 

The Southwest Sun is the official publication of the Southwest District Circle K International!

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The Southwest Sun is here for you, CKI members, alumni and Kiwanis Family alike please feel free to submit articles to the Southwest Sun.

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Member Highlight: Do you have a club member that is going above and beyond their duties, had success in their education, joined an honor society, or has a really cool life! Highlight your members successes in and outside of Kiwanis in the Southwest Sun! Send a brief biography and members contact information to SWD Bulletin Editor, Elissia Torres

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All content for the Southwest Sun is due to your Southwest District Bulletin Editor by the 5th of the month! All articles are subject to editing. The Southwest Sun will be distributed on the 15th of the month of publication, unless otherwise noted.

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Please submit all content to Elissia, elissiat.swdcki@gmail.com

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You can subscribe to the Southwest Sun and be the first to read the Southwest Sun. To subscribe please click here and follow the link

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Remember District and International dues deadline is December 1st Treasures and Secretaries please make sure your club pays on time. Any questions please contact the District Secretary or Treasure.

of October!

Keep up the good work SWD

Good Luck on Finals

The January/February Southwest Sun will be distributed February 15th Happy Holidays SWD!!

Miss an issue of the Southwest Sun? Don’t worry every issue is available at issuu.com/swdcki 16

HumorMatterstm A Politically Correct Christmas Poem Submitted by: Bob Carson, SWD Administrator Twas the night before Christmas and Santa’s a wreck…

How to live in a world that’s politically correct?

His workers no longer would answer to “Elves”, “Vertically Challenged” they were calling themselves.

And labor conditions at the North Pole, Were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.

Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety, Released to the wilds, by the Humane Society.

And equal employment had made it quite clear, That Santa had better not use just reindeer.

So Dancer and Donner, Comet, and Cupid, were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!

The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh, Because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA, And millions of people were calling the Cops, when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.

Second-hand smoke from his pipe, had his workers quite frightened, And his fur trimmed red suit was called “unenlightened”.

To show you the strangeness of today’s ebbs and flows, Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.

He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation, Demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.

So...half of the reindeer were gone, and his wife Who suddenly said she’d had enough of this life, Joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz, Demanding from now on that her title was Ms.

And as for the gifts… why, he’d never had the notion that making a choice could cause such commotion.

Nothing of leather, nothing for fur..

Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.

Noting to air, Nothing to shoot, Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.

Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.

Nothing that claimed to be gender specific, Nothing that’s warlike or non-pacifistic.

No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.

Nothing that seemed to embellish upon the truth.

And fairy tales...while not yet forbidden, Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden, for they raised the hackles of those psychological, who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.

No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt, besides– playing sports exposes kids to dirt.

Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe.

And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed, he just couldn't figure out what to do next?

He tried to be merry he tried to be gay, But you must have to admit he was having a very bad day.

His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground, Nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.

Something special was needed, a gift that he might, Give to us all, without angering the left or the right.

A gift that would satisfy — with no indecision, Each group of people in every religion.

Every race, every hue, Everyone, everywhere...even you!

“MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES , ENJOY PEACE ON EARTH” 17 CKI <Southwest District> Southwest Sun

Southwest District Administrators &Associate Administrators Bob Carson CKI Administrator modemcowboy@gmail.com

C.K. Liu Arizona State ckliu1980@cox.net

Michael Iafrato Northern Arizona miaafrato@me.com

Rose Anne Dodson District Executive Director swdkiwanis@quest.net

Jim Lee Eastern New Mexico james.lee@enmu.edu

Betty Misch University of Arizona murph6329@aol.com

Ron Smith Assistant Administrator rsmith480@cox.net

Bert Benedick New Mexico State bertabqusa@aol.com

Lori Ann Bonomo Western New Mexico loriannbonomo@earthlink.net

Southwest District Board

SWD

CKI Presidents

John McMullen University of Arizona jgm2@email.arizona.edu Erin Lin Arizona State University erin.lin@asu.edu Inactive Cochise Community College Meghan Pearce Eastern New Mexico University Meghan.pearce@enmu.edu

Vonia Adams University of New Mexico voniaadams@hotmail.com Varayini Pankayatselvan New Mexico State University varay21@nmsu.edu Rebecca Holub Northern Arizona University rlh257@nau.edu Inactive University of Texas at El Paso Serina Lee Pack Western New Mexico University serinapack@gmail.com 18

www.swcki.org www.circlek.org

Omar Perez operez.cki@gmail.com Governor Jeanette Flores jnflores.swdcki@gmail.com Secretary Kelsae Pederson pedersonkelsae@yahoo.com Treasurer Elissia Torres elissiat.swdcki@gmail.com Bulletin Editor Katie Merrill katherine.merrill@enmu.edu Lieutenant Governor New Mexico/Texas Kevin Wright kwright.swdcki@gmail.com Lieutenant Governor Arizona