MOUNT VERNON — Brianna Small has dedicated the last four years of her life to her local Key Club chapter and now, with graduation around the corner, Small has been elected Key Club Governor of Ohio.
Key Club, an organization funded by the Kiwanis family, is a group that encourages young adults to volunteer in their communities. Key Club is the high school chapter, but the Kiwanis family also sponsors K Kids for students in elementary school, Builders Club for middle schoolers, and Circle K for collegiate students.
In her four years, as a member of Key Club, Small has volunteered for over 300 hours. This community service, she explained, has taught her the importance of serving others and putting others before herself.
Small’s experience, determination, and enthusiasm is what qualified her to hold Key Club Leadership positions.
In April 2020, she was elected to the District Secretary Treasurer, a job composed of keeping track of different clubs in Ohio, communicating with lieutenant governors, and using the Robert F. Lucas (RFL) scoring system to determine how well lieutenant governors were performing.
When the Key Club Governor of Ohio for the 2020-2021 school year resigned in December, Small was unanimously elected by the District Board of Ohio to serve as the Governor.
As such, Small oversees over 11,000 Ohio Key Club members and works as a liaison between the Ohio clubs and the national and international levels of Key Club.
Small sends newsletters, emails, and functions as a contact person for various levels of the Koanis family (i.e. K Kids, Builders Club, and Circle K). As part of her responsibilities, Small attends an assortment of events and conventions.
Small aspires to be a nurse and through Key Club, she has been able to pursue this interest by volunteering at the receptionist’s desk at the Knox Community Hospital.
In this volunteership, Small has learned the importance of giving back to others and hopes to do so in college (via Circle K) and beyond her academic career.
As someone who had to adjust to remote meetings and technology as a way to coordinate with her colleagues, Small stresses the importance of communication. Managing different telecommunication platforms (like email accounts and zoom meetings), has taught Small how to be a leader and what that looks like virtually.
This professional experience and leadership position is, as Small put it, “100% rewarding.”
Leadership has taught Small many things like the importance of delegation and dedication, but she says she owes her success to everyone she met during her Key Club tenure and her advisor, Mrs. Chrstine Keaton. Without whom she “wouldn’t be here today.”
