By: Vivian Tsang
On the weekend of Sept. 29 to Sept. 30, three Milpitas Key Club officers participated in the Key Club Regional Training Conference held at the YMCA Camp Jones Gulch. Key Club is the oldest and largest international, student-led organization that focuses on teaching leadership through service, the MHS Key Club Website stated. Key Club’s main focus is on community service and raising money for the Pediatric Trauma Program (PTP) and The Eliminate Project.
The overnight camp allowed students to develop a stronger connection to the club by connecting with Key Club members from surrounding schools, primarily helping students become more acquainted with their officer responsibilities, Senior Harpreet Lally said. Lally, Senior Hanna Fei, and Junior Jenny Pham attended the event with the intention of making their high school experiences as memorable as possible.
On the first day of the event, which housed more than 400 Key Club members, students were divided into teams consisting of students from different schools in the region, Lally said. Each team, which was creatively named after a different Olympian, had goals of preparing skits and cheers, Lally added. The point of the chant was to portray one of Key Club’s core values: changing the world through service.
“In between performances, we would sing old songs from the early 2000s,” Lally said. “After that, we had free time to eat cookies, drink hot cocoa, watch the talent show, play table tennis,” Lally continued. She stated that her favorite part was being able to sing “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus at the top of her lungs alongside her peers. “The atmosphere at RTC was unbeatable. There was always some kind of cheering or dancing going on and the people were so supportive of each other!” Lally added.
The camp also invited inspirational “KeyNote” speakers, who were former Key Club members in high school according to Pham. The speakers shared their experiences about Key Club and particularly touched on ways the club had contributed to their personal growth. Pham added.
“Overall, I had an unforgettable experience full of new friendships, a closer connection to the officers that attended, and ultimately a stronger connection to Key Club,” Pham said. “I feel as though my trip to RTC opened me up to a world I would not have known without Key Club. So I have an immense appreciation for a club that has given me the opportunity to blossom in my high school career.”
As a senior who wanted to become more involved with Key Club outside her region, Fei also enjoyed her experience at the camp.
“Before RTC, I hadn’t participated in many Key Club events outside the division,” Fei explained. “Going to this event showed me how big Key Club really is and the endless opportunities it offers to its members. Everyone there was extremely passionate about Key Club and I was inspired by how spirited and friendly everyone was.”