Student Stories: Leadership Is More Than a Title

Editor’s Note: OSPI aims to elevate the authentic experiences of the students in Washington’s K–12 public schools. This story was written by a Washington state high school student participating in OSPI’s Student Stories Program. The author’s opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints do not necessarily reflect those of OSPI, and publication of this story does not constitute OSPI’s approval or endorsement of its contents. With questions, please contact OSPI’s Communications team at commteam@k12.wa.us. 

Having moved freshly from the Philippines to Washington state, I struggled to navigate the culture and social norms of the country on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The new environment was incredibly different, so making connections during 8th and 9th grade was challenging. I shied away from everything unfamiliar, keeping myself in a bubble where I was comfortable, but constrained from ever growing.  

I did want my high school experience to be memorable, so during the summer of sophomore year, I vowed to expand my horizons and get more involved with the community. The few friends I had introduced me to several clubs, including my school's newly revived Key Club.  

Key Club is a student-led service organization that aims to teach leadership through community service. Whether through local service projects or international conventions, Key Club gives its members the opportunity to earn community service hours, learn leadership skills, receive scholarships, and meet new people.   

The self-governing group is comprised of high schoolers around the world and is run by student officials. Members are parts of clubs, which are parts of divisions, which are parts of districts, collectively, making Key Club International. I did not initially understand the scope of how large the organization was, simply thinking it was just another service club at my school. I was proven laughably wrong.  

Because that year was the first time the club was active at my school in 5 years, they needed an officer board. Although it was intimidating and I had little previous leadership experience, I ran for secretary to keep my promise to myself. After a shaky speech and a nerve-wracking voting process, I was overjoyed to be elected.  

The president at the time was warm and welcoming to everyone who walked through the club door, fostering an environment where everyone could feel part of the community. She led to serve her members, ultimately resulting in Key Club’s quick success at our school. She organized and delegated officer duties efficiently, maintained clear communication, and overall served as a secure president to depend upon. I aspire to emulate her universal kindness and strength as a leader. Through our shared officer duties, we spent a lot of time together and clicked immediately. We supported each other through tough times and cheered for each other’s successes, club-related or not. Today, I would gladly consider her one of my closest friends.  

Some of my favorite service projects were hosted during Divisional Council Meetings (DCMs). These are monthly events where different Key Clubs within the same division meet to socialize with one another, collaborate on a service project, and receive divisional/district news. DCMs, which can range from movie nights to talent shows, allowed me to make many new connections with people from other schools who I would have otherwise never met.  

For instance, during the December 2022 DCM, Key Clubbers brought in various toys to wrap for the holidays and donate to Toys for Tots, a program run by the Marine Corps to distribute gifts to families in need. Through the scavenger hunt icebreaker, I met and got close with many people from neighboring high schools. Inside and outside of Key Club events, I continued to hang out with these people and befriend their friends too, with some even inviting me to go to their prom this past June. Constantly getting to know all kinds of people pushed me to come out of my shell and express myself more honestly.  

What really helped me understand how impressively vast Key Club was, however, was the Pacific Northwest District Convention (PNW DCon). PNW Key Club hosts this annual three-day conference during the spring, where Key Clubbers from the region come together to celebrate a successful year of service. Thousands of attendees go through both fun and educational workshops, receive leadership training, and vote for the next district executive board.  

During these past two DCons, I met and befriended dozens of Key Clubbers from Washington, Oregon, Canada, and even Alaska. Many of these people I keep in touch with today, with whom I’ve exchanged plans to grow and improve our home clubs. Insightful workshops and advice from guest speakers helped me bring back dozens of ideas for service events and fundraisers.  

One person I met, who was from Olympia, absolutely shocked me with his competence as a leader and determination to be the best he could be. Initially, he reached out after hearing about me from his club’s members, who thought we’d be good friends. We talked for hours on end, delving into our experiences at DCon, interests, plans for the future, and how Key Club has impacted our lives. What started as a funny conversation turned into a heartfelt discussion about who we are and what we want to be. Since then, we have kept in contact daily. He helped inspire me to leave a positive impact on everyone I meet, no matter how small.  

The staggering amount of spirited people who traveled from across the PNW to share this experience made me fall in love with the club all over again. Key Club gave so many people an outlet to help their communities and share their passion, and I wanted to be a part of it.  

At the end of sophomore year, I was appointed vice president, shadowing my club’s rising senior president to become more familiar with the position and take it up during my senior year. We, along with the rest of the officer board and our wonderful advisor, turned our Key Club into the most active and one of the biggest clubs at our school.  

Being active in the club for over two years, I wanted to ensure its success in the future. To achieve this, I sought to climb the ranks and keep the club alive. With the support of our previous officer board, I am proud to report that I am now my school’s Key Club president.  

I must organize events, run meetings, handle communications with ASB and our parent club Kiwanis, and oversee over 200 students throughout the service year. I was terrified to take up this daunting task without the help of the past president. She was one of the most hardworking, creative, and supportive people I have ever met, and I feared that I would not be able to live up to her legacy. However, she assured me that she truly believed I could achieve great things for our club. Today, I’m learning to appreciate how leadership and challenge can help me grow.  

Joining Key Club has been one of the most pivotal experiences throughout my high school career. It has given me the opportunity like no other to connect with and learn from passionate members like me. There’s never a shortage of people with a unique “why.” The valuable friendships and experiences I’ve gained have helped me thrive as a leader. Whether helping me organize events or staying by my side as emotional support, my friends from Key Club played important roles in my growth as a leader and friend. The responsibilities of leadership pushed me out of my shell and made me want to expand, making me much more comfortable with taking advice, taking risks, and taking initiative.  

I love the job, the memories, and the people, but most importantly, I love the mission. Serving my community and seeing the impact of my efforts is an incredibly fulfilling feeling that inspired me to join more clubs and take up more leadership roles. From the school newspaper’s Editor-in-chief to the Asian Student Union’s president, where I am now is a far cry from the shy and reserved freshman I once was. I feel privileged and honored to work with this remarkable organization that allowed me to reach my full potential. Key Club has helped me flourish into the person I am today, and I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me.  

About the Author 

Monica Velasquez (she/her) is a high school junior in the Lake Stevens School District who is passionate about psychology and journalism. She takes on leadership roles in various clubs at her school, such as Key Club and the Asian Student Union. Having served as a Staff Reporter and Editor-in-Chief for her school’s newspaper, Monica hopes to share the voices of her peers through her work.