DCON Re-Cap: The New Member Perspective

What began like a normal typical Friday day - waking up, getting ready, and going to school - came with a twist. In my Hawaiian outfit, I got ready to take my suitcase to embark on an unknown adventure. An adventure to find the recipes (skills) that I'd need to learn to become successful. As I travel through my journey, I’d be exploring CNH Circle K District Convention or DCON for short where service was baked fresh.

Photo taken by Andy Nguyen

DCON was held from March 18th - 20th at the LAX Marriott, where hundreds upon hundreds of Circle K clubs, Kiwanians, and alumni from the Cal-Nev-Ha district, came together to celebrate graduating seniors, the end of the term, and also the beginning of a new one. It was where we recognized year-long hard work, showcased many talented individuals, and went to workshops that helped us be successful in day to day life, Circle K, and a world beyond college. It was also a place to find a key recipe, called courage, to stand in front of hundreds to give a speech, answer questions, get the vote of the district, and to get their desired position on the district board. All of these, with many other activities that occurred within a span of 3 days equaled sleepless nights, but it was all worth the eye bags, tears, and the hard work that finally paid off.

Photo taken by Andy Nguyen

I was very lucky to have been able to experience such a wonderful 3 days with my family away from home, cheering, and seeing the recognition of other clubs and especially my home club. I was lucky to have seen the passion others had, which inspired me to reach new heights, and strive to be my best. A recipe I had found was the recipe of inspiration. I was inspired by so many amazing individuals that only lit my passion to rediscover what I really wanted to do with my major, my future and, of course, my life. The workshops that were offered at DCON were geared towards professionalism, how to succeed in life after college, and learn what impact you can have with your position in Circle K whether it be in a board position or as a general member.

Photo taken by Andy Nguyen

One of the many wonderful things about DCON was making new friends, memories, talks, exchanges and leaving a long lasting impression across Cal-Nev-Ha Circle K members, which leads me to my third recipe - stepping out of my comfort zone by just taking the initiative to walk up to random strangers and say “Hi! Nice to meet you!” which hopefully leads to new bonds and friendship. Thanks to the inspiration from others who spoke to go out, and do something different than you normally do at DCON, I took their advice and did. This allowed me to made many new friendships that will last me through my years in college and maybe even beyond that.

Photo taken by Andy Nguyen

The 3 recipes I learned from DCON were courage, inspiration, and stepping out of my comfort zone. I believe these are key ingredients to be successful in the process of making the food (you). To have the courage to go out, by just stepping out of your comfort zone, to take risks, as well as the support and inspiration from others that will drive the motivation to grind through all the tedious and painful work. I was fortunate to witness the spirit of Circle K, and the passion and kindness each and everyone brings. This was the very first of my first year in Circle K, with many more friendships, memories, and bonds to go that all starts with a little courage, a little inspiration, and finally a small step forward.

Eric Hoang is a first year at California State University, Fullerton majoring in civil engineering. He is a general member at CSUF CKI.

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