The Levels of the Kiwanis

Do you remember your first Kiwanis Family event? Was it in Circle K? Key Club? Or in a younger Kiwanis Family branch like Builders Club or K-Kids? Whatever branch it may be in, the first event you attended may have set off a switch that drew you into the arms of millions who have felt the same passion as you.

Luckily for me, I was drawn into the Kiwanis Family during my freshman year at Fluntain Valley High School in 2011. I remember walking around my school seeing booths upon booths with students holding signs to join the engineering club, Red Cross, or many other clubs doing their best to recruit members. My eyes were automatically drawn to a club that wouldn't stop yelling about how good they felt and had a huge crowd of potential members lined up around their booth. Long story short, I ended up doing my best to put my name on the sign up sheet, attending a few meetings, and falling in love with the club.

A few years and a few hundred hours of service later, I was given the opportunity to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of the Jet Division of KIWIN'S. In being a board member of KIWIN'S for all four years of high school, I was one of the "fossil" members in my club, being someone who people went to for advice and guidance. Although I was grateful for my position and the members of my division who supported me for my term, I slowly felt myself feeling more and more tired. Other than KIWIN'S, my teenage emotions and "responsibilities" caught up to me, making me feel like an overlooked potato, burnt and extra mushy on the inside. As I finished my term, many members of Circle K started to approach me, attempting to persuade me to join. Believe it or not, I was actually not planning to join Circle K in college. I knew I wanted to focus on school and having a job, but Circle K was never part of my agenda. But it's seemed that the more I said no to the persistent Circle K members, the more my heart wanted to say yes. After a few more past KIWIN'S friends messaged me, I attended my first Circle K event. Immediately, I could feel distinct differences between KIWIN'S and Circle K. Other than the major difference being that I didn't know anyone at the event, I felt more differences as I continued on my Circle K journey.

Picture taken by Andy Nguyen.

Although both branches of the Kiwanis Family are very similar, I loved how Circle K was so much more......chill. In college, (almost) everyone is used to staying up way past my regular bedtime, and everyone can drive. With these two things, hanging out and attending events was way easier. I never knew my love for board games was as big as it is until I joined Circle K. Jumping from being the Lieutenant Governor of a division of 750 members to being a first year general member at a new school was definitely a black and white contrast that felt both good and weird at the same time. I was so happy that Circle K welcomed me with open arms. It was awkward because I was so set on not joining Circle K in college. It just shows that sometimes life may not go as planned. Curveballs will be thrown, doors will be unlocked, and people will be persistent. Instead of pushing away these advances, see them as an opportunity to pave a new path on your journey. Thankfully, joining Circle K was a choice that changed my life for the better.

Manuel Santiago is a first year at Orange Coast College. He works at Caldron and is a general member at OCC CKI.

#OCC #KIWINs #KiwanisFamily