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I would not have been the Chloe I am now if it was not for Kiwanis International, a service nonprofit dedicated to "changing the world, one child, and one community at a time." As President of KIWIN'S Club in high school, the shy little Chloe had to step in front of a crowd and do what she feared most: speak. Through this organization, I both cheered my heart out and met the most interesting and capable youths. KIWIN'S pushed me to extremes that developed my spirit, my confidence, and most importantly, my voice.
As the Lieutenant Governor of the
nine colleges/universities in the Foothill Division of Circle K International
(CKI), I had three main objectives: to develop club continuity, to instill
unity, and to organize personally-connected service projects. We had a 55%
overall growth in membership, a 40 member attendance increase to monthly
divisional council meetings, and a quadrupled attendance to the largest
district events in CKI history. With strong administrative and managerial
efforts, Foothill rose from being the underdog division to the strongest in the
district.
As part of this transformation, I
was eager to establish Foothill's personality and what it uniquely stood for. My
secret mission was to was to fulfill the last line of the Circle K Pledge:
"To dedicate myself to the realization of humankind's potential." I sought
to provide a spark in the lives of others to instigate their dream-chasing.
I coordinated 173 volunteers at
the largest Asian-styled festival in the United States - the 626 Night Market.
The event was a huge success in that Foothill received endless words of
acknowledgment from the 626 staff, Yelp reviews, and Facebook comments. As a
long-term result, CKI gained massive visibility in the community and earned the
opportunity to collaborate with other branches and organizations. A couple of
members also got job offers from the night market. What was most rewarding was
that our members got to see the differences they made in their community.
The next big project was
coordinating the first ever Foothill benefit show- Phoenix Café Night. Here, we
showcased the diverse talents of instrumentals, voice, spoken word, a cappella,
and beat-boxing. I fulfilled my life-long passion for youth empowerment through
performing and visual arts by encouraging members to challenge their stage
fright and take on the stage. The goal was to create a comfortable space for
people to show their most vulnerable sides through art while also raising funds
for Project ELIMINATE. Phoenix Café Night became a memorable evening members
were proud they participated in.
I think my greatest
accomplishment was that I transformed the mindset from being "not good
enough" to being "one of the best". I took risks to challenge
Foothill to go after what seemed impossible, and pulled through. The attitude
shift in realizing the potential of Foothill was key to making the term
revolutionary. It was a privilege to lead impact the volunteers of my community
as Lieutenant Governor.
--
January, 2014
Chloe Shih
--
January, 2014
Chloe Shih
