By Colin Prince, Indiana District

Since joining the Kiwanis family in elementary school by becoming a member of K-Kids, I’ve been captivated by this organization and all those involved in it. When I went on to join Key Club International the summer before my freshman year of high school, I could never have dreamt of where it would take me in life and how much I would develop as a person and a leader. I have personally had the opportunity to grow in all aspects of my life through the different experiences, positions and friendships I encountered while in Key Club, and my time in Key Club even led me to my current field of study at Indiana University Bloomington: nonprofit management and leadership (with a minor in event planning).  

After retiring as the 2018-19 Indiana district governor of Key Club during my senior year of high school, without hesitation I knew what my next steps were: to join Circle K International at IU, where I would be attending school in the fall. However, to my surprise, when I arrived on campus and was searching for the CKI booth at our involvement fair, it was nowhere to be found. I later learned that our CKI club had been suspended and was currently not operating.

I immediately got to work, began reaching out to our local Kiwanis club and found the support I needed to reactivate our club on IU’s campus. After filling out lots of paperwork and seeking out my friends and fellow past Key Club members to join, we were officially reactivated in April of 2020.

Reestablishing this club on IU’s campus has been extremely rewarding and exciting, as it has allowed me to continue my Kiwanis family journey while simultaneously providing my fellow Hoosiers with the opportunity to serve their home, school and community and meet and interact with fellow members. Although getting our club back up and running this past year has been extremely difficult and stressful due to the pandemic, we are currently the second-largest club in the Indiana District and have made a name for ourselves on campus through our numerous service projects. To those Key Club members graduating, and I can’t recommend it enough, join Circle K International and continue your Kiwanis family journey — you won’t regret it! 

I am now entering a new endeavor within the Indiana District as I join the Key Club District Board adult team to help facilitate and provide support to the Indiana District Board of Key Club. This has been a dream of mine since I retired as governor, as I greatly looked up to my administrators and was beyond thankful for their impact on my term and my life. I have come back to provide that same support and encouragement I received during my time in Key Club to the future leaders of Indiana, just as was done for me. I am beyond grateful and excited to begin this journey on the other side of the table, and I am forever thankful to the Kiwanis family for the opportunities it has brought into my life.