Key Club Betters Community Through Volunteer Efforts

Key+Club+Members+pictured+are+Senior+Keiko+Yamamuro%2C+Senior+Miranda+Le%2C+Senior+Jenna+Lai%2C+Sophomore+Natasha+Asgari%2C+Senior+Christy+Khuu%2C+Senior+Khloee+Tang%2C+and+Senior+Tatiana+Nagai+%28top+to+bottom%2C+left+to+right%29.

Ren Marchie

Key Club Members pictured are Senior Keiko Yamamuro, Senior Miranda Le, Senior Jenna Lai, Sophomore Natasha Asgari, Senior Christy Khuu, Senior Khloee Tang, and Senior Tatiana Nagai (top to bottom, left to right).

Giovanna Brunetto, Staff Writer
October 28, 2022

   Every Tuesday at lunch in the auditorium, members of Key Club learn about the benefits of community service through activities and participation in events.

The president of the UC High Key Club, Senior Miranda Le said, “The club aims to serve our community through volunteer work, while still supporting skills such as leadership, spirit, and networking.”

Key Club is part of Kiwanis International. According to the Kiwanis’s official website, they are a global community of clubs, members, and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time (kiwanis.org).

Students in Key Club are expected to complete a full 25 hours of community service per semester. “It seems like a lot, but it’s not hard, since most service events are three to four hours it adds up really quickly,” said Le.

Science Teacher Justin Ngyuen became UC’s Key Club adviser during quarantine when the former adviser resigned. “One of the best parts about Key Club is Fall Rally South, an event where everyone essentially gets to go to Six Flags on a community service trip. So they all go, get all decked out in spirit, and I get to go to Six Flags,” said Nyguen.

Le deems Fall Rally South, where they raise money for the Pediatric Trauma Program (PTP), her favorite activity she’s done with the club.

According to a website about the PTP and Kiwanis, the mission of the PTP is to develop local projects which will reduce the number of children in the three-state district who are killed or injured by trauma (cnhfoundation.org). “[FRS] is a great service incentive and philanthropy event, and you get to meet people from other divisions,” said Le.

Key Club provides the opportunity to form friendships inside and outside of school, something Le deeply says she loves. “I’ve gotten to meet people I would have never talked to otherwise, within my own school and others such as Patrick Henry and Kearny. Many of the people I’ve met have become my closest friends whom I talk to on a daily basis,” she said.

“I do notice that the majority of people who are making friends are the ones who are active and involve themselves,” said Ngyuen.

   Freshman Danielle Muttera is a new member of Key Club, and she recently helped out at a 5K run in Pacific Beach. She said, “Overall, it makes you feel pretty good when you know you’re doing something to help.”

   Le shared how Key Club helped improve her leadership and cooperation skwwills. She said, “Public speaking is also something I was able to improve through presenting at meetings, and it’s another skill that I’ll carry into my professional life beyond high school.”