golden key regional newsletter ed.1 - oct 2014

Volume

01 October 2014

Message from Region 3 Associate Director Shereen Ashtiani

Greetings Region 3! Most of you are well into your mem-

bership drives and performing great! You have about one

more month before the end of the semester to really market

your chapter and gain additional members; resulting in mo-

re participation, more chapter funding, and more students

receiving our benefits. Let’s see how great our region can

grow going into the new year! Thank you for all of your

hard work! You make me proud to be your Associate Di-

rector.

Bimonthly Newsletter —Golden Key International Honour Society—Region III Volume 01— October 2014

Name: Kelvin G. Chávez Position: Council of Student Members - Region 3 Major: Mechanical Engineering State: Puerto Rico Quality: Strategic Leadership Color: Blue Food: Caribbean Cuisine Quote: “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.” - Tim Notke

Editorial Kelvin G. Chávez—Council of Students Members Region 3

Hello Region 3! I am so glad to present the first volume of

our regional newsletter INSID3, you know, just another ex-

cuse to reach you out! The main purpose of this newsletter

is to provide a forum for you to express yourself and know

the initiatives that are taking place in the rest of the region.

For me, it is extremely important to make ideas flow bet-

ween chapters, so that we can improve and at the end of the

day, we can achieve our goal of gold standing. I am pretty

sure that as time goes on, this newsletter will take shape ac-

cording to the needs of our chapters. For now I say goodb-

ye and hope you enjoy this first edition. See you around!


Name: F. Lynn Hamric Position: Council of Advisors - Region 3 Major: Business Administration State: Alabama Quality: Service Oriented Color: Crimson Food: Seafood Quote: “If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards” Bear Bryant

Name: Shereen Ashtiani Position: Associate Director - Region 3 Major: Master in Industrial & Organizational Psychology State: Georgia Quality: Energy Color: Pink Food: Everything! I love trying new and delicious food. Quote: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi


Every year, Florida International University hosts a 9-11 Day of Service in

order to remind FIU students and staff that we will never forget those men

and women that our country lost.

Being that we have many international students, it is critical to emphasize our

American patriotism around our campus. FIU’s Golden Key chapter helped

make this event possible by assisting in organizing the flags and candles for

the lighting ceremony.

During this ceremony, students light a candle for those who lost their lives on

September 11, 2001. At the end of the ceremony, the United States map lo-

cated in the middle of our university’s Graham Center is filled with flickering

light which represent everlasting life. A moment of silence is then held and

the candles remain lit for all to see as they walk by.

One of our main contributors was Lindsey Ramirez, pictured on the right

whose husband is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Never Forget Submitted by Merissa Padron

Florida International University Chapter


UF has an organization fair every semester so that new students can check

out all of the clubs they can get involved in our campus. In order to get GK’s

name out to the students, we requested a table and had a blast talking to po-

tential members! We handed out flyers, candy, and GK swag to potential new

members to generate interest in our chapter, as well as signed students up for

our listserv. We also answered any questions that passersby might have about

our chapter, the requirements to join, meetings, etc.

Standing OUT with UF Golden Key! Submitted by Samantha Webster

University of Florida Chapter

One of the activities that was conducted by our UPRM Golden Key Chapter

was the International Coastal Cleanup organized by Scuba Dogs on the

morning of September 20th. It took place in Almendros Beach in the town

of Rincon, Puerto Rico. We gathered dozens of volunteers, including those

of different associations from our campus and several locals. With every-

one’s help, we were able to collect over 16 bags of trash and even an old,

rusty BBQ! The beach was left spotless and everyone left home knowing

that at least one beach was a safe environment free of pollution.

Going above and beyond!!! Submitted by Hilda Pérez

University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Chapter


The Golden Key International Honour Society- St. Thomas Chapter held an

event entitled: A Night of the Past, Present and Future of Golden Key: Gold and

Blue Affair. This Event was held on September 26, 2014 at the University of the

Virgin Islands where members were given the opportunity to networking with

current members, prospective members and alumni through the means of various

activities. We dedicated this Event towards the recognition of our alumni for

their service and commitment to the community followed by a musical presenta-

tion by our UVI Chamber Musical Ensemble in honor of them. We also enjoyed

a guest presentation by our very own alumni and Miss Virgin Islands 2009,

Shayla Solomon. Because of the generosity of our sponsors: Subway and West

Indies Company, we spent the rest of the evening eating, socializing and enjoy-

ing photo moments.

A Night of the Past, Present and Future of Golden Key! Submitted by Aquila Dorsey

University of Virgin Islands—St. Thomas Chapter

On Saturday, September 27th our officers and members were able to help out

in the community and make a difference by collaborating with 'Keep Bre-

vard Beautiful'. Trash left behind by others not only affects the appearances

of our beaches but also destroys the habitats of many marine wildlife, so our

members set out to pick up any trash they could find with their mission be-

ing to protect and preserve the homes of these sea critters. Afterwards, our

members were rewarded with a social event where they had a chance to have

some fun in the sun and eat out at 'Sandbar Sports Grill'.

Successful Cocoa Beach Clean-Up 2014! Submitted by Kimberly Ballinas

University of Central Florida Chapter


This One Leadership Quality Will Make or Break You By Mike Myatt | Forbes 2011

One of the most often overlooked aspects of leadership is the need for

pursuit. Great leaders are never satisfied with traditional practice, static

thinking, conventional wisdom, or common performance. In fact, the best

leaders are simply uncomfortable with anything that embraces the status

quo. Leadership is pursuit – pursuit of excellence, of elegance, of truth, of

what’s next, of what if, of change, of value, of results, of relationships, of

service, of knowledge, and of something bigger than

yourself. In the text that follows I’ll examine the value of being a

pursuer…

Here’s the thing – pursuit leads to attainment. What you pursue will deter-

mine the paths you travel, the people you associate with, the character you

develop, and ultimately, what you do or don’t achieve. Having a mindset

focused on pursuit is so critical to leadership that lacking this one quality

can sentence you to mediocrity or even obsolescence. The manner,

method, and motivation behind any pursuit is what sets truly great leaders

apart from the masses. If you want to become a great

leader, become a great pursuer.

A failure to embrace pursuit is to cede opportunity to others. A leader’s

failure to pursue clarity leaves them amidst the fog. Their failure to pursue

creativity relegates them to the routine and mundane. Their failure to pur-

sue talent sentences them to a world of isolation. Their failure to pursue

change approves apathy. Their failure to pursue wisdom and discernment

subjects them to distraction and folly. Their failure to pursue character

leaves a question mark on their integrity. Let me put this as simply as I

can – you cannot attain what you do not pursue.

Smart leaders understand it’s not just enough to pursue, but pursuit must

be intentional, focused, consistent, aggressive, and unyielding. You must

pursue the right things, for the right reasons, and at the right times. Per-

haps most of all, the best forms of pursuit enlist others in the chase. Pur-

suit in its purest form is highly collaborative, very inclusive and easily

transferable. Pursuit operates at greatest strength when it leverages

velocity and scale.

I also want to caution you against trivial pursuits – don’t confuse pursuit

with simple goal setting. Outcomes are clearly important, but as a leader,

it’s what happens after the outcome that you need to be in pursuit of. Pur-

sue discovery, seek dissenting opinions, develop your ability unlearn by

embracing how much you don’t know, and find the kind of vision that tru-

ly does see around corners. Don’t use your pursuits to shift paradigms,

pursue breaking them. Knowing what not to pursue is just as important as

knowing what to pursue.

It’s important to keep in mind that nothing tells the world more about a

leader than what or who they pursue – that which you pursue is that

which you value. If you message to your organization you value talent,

but don’t treat people well and don’t spend time developing the talent

around you, then I would suggest you value rhetoric more than talent. Put

simply, you can wax eloquent all you like, but your actions will ultimate-

ly reveal what you truly value.

Lastly, the best leaders pursue being better leaders. They know to fail in

this pursuit is nothing short of a guarantee they’ll be replaced by those

who don’t. All leaders would be well served to go back to school on what

I refer to as the art and science of pursuitology.

What’s been the best thing you’ve pursued? What pursuit has led

you astray. Thoughts?


Our adventure was not limited to Salamanca; we had the opportunity

of traveling through all Europe during the semester because our flexi-

ble schedule gave us that privilege. Also, I took advantage of the op-

portunity and worked on a research project in the Chemical Engineer-

ing Department of University of Salamanca. It was an academic expe-

rience completely different of what I was used to because in Spain

you are only required to take a final evaluation and the rest of the se-

mester is dedicated to interactive classes where your participation is

highly required. The professors usually took us to museums or places

where the taught theory could be applied. The thing I liked the most

during those months in Spain was to see how the Puerto Rican culture

is so similar to the Spanish culture, clearly leaving outside the fact

that they take naps every day and that their Sundays are for sleeping.

An exchange student program is something I highly recommend for

every student to do during their college years because you get to

know many things that you cannot learn in your regular classroom.

Education That Goes Beyond The Classroom By Stephanie Ortiz | University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez

During my college years, I have had multiple outstanding experiences

but I have to highlight my semester as an exchange student in Spain. The

second semester of my sophomore year I took the journey of heading out

of the island to learn another culture, and decided I was going to do it by

studying in a foreign university. January 28, my adventure started in a

college town, Salamanca, located in the region of Castilla and Leon in

Spain. When I arrived, the first thing that impacted me from the education

system was the students which they showed to have authority over the

professors and they demanded their education to be of excellence. The

Spanish students would not get by with a simple answer to a question,

they needed an expertise answer validated with multiple lectures. Since

the beginning of the semester, I met people from different nationalities

who later on become my little family during those months. Together we

took the journey of discovering each corner of the enchanting city of Sal-

amanca, including parks, museums, rivers, houses of famous writers, and

restaurants.

Golden Key’s mission’s is to enable members realize their potential. After

seeing all the hard work and efforts that our members across the globe has

demonstrated in the initiatives that we have promoted in collaboration with

other entities, such as Make A Difference, we wanted to create our own initi-

ative: SPARK a Change. Its mission is to impact and improve the lives of at-

risk youth (ages 0-17) through literacy, education and real-world prepared-

ness. Golden Key members are service minded individuals who strive to

make a positive difference in their communities and around the world. This

initiative helps the next generation to discover and unlock their potential.

But, what is “at-risk”? According to the National Center for Education Sta-

tistics, an at-risk student is a student who, by virtue of their circumstances, is

statistically more likely than others to fail academically. Factors that can

contribute to a student being at-risk may include: low socioeconomic status,

demographic background, family background (single parent families and stu-

dents from large families are at greater risk), lack of parental involvement,

poor academic history, student behavior, teacher perceptions of the student,

etc.


October is the month to SPARK a Change!

By 2017, Golden Key aims to raise $40,000, dedicate 400,000 hours

of service and impact 400,000 lives in local communities & around

the world. As funds arrive at headquarters, the money will be put into

a SPARK-only account until 2017. Before International Summit

2017, there will be a collaborative effort to choose a program or or-

ganization that corresponds with SPARK a Change to donate the en-

tire $40,000. By donating a lump sum of $40,000 to one organization,

we feel this donation will have a measurable impact on the recipient

organization, thus fulfilling the mission of SPARK a Change. The re-

cipient organization will be announced at International Summit 2017.

Our first ever SPARK Month was this October! Chapters across the

globe joined this initiative, promoting Golden Key values and sharing

their experiences by using #SPARKaChange on the social media. We

would like to highlight those chapters in our region who made signifi-

cant contributions in our SPARK month. Our next volume will have

a special section dedicated to emphasize those Spark a Change events

in Region 3. Submit yours! Send an email to our CoSM, kel-

[email protected], with a picture and a brief summary of the

event. If you have further questions, please email Katie Hiatt at khi-

[email protected].

Extra!!!

Connect with us! Webpage:

www.goldenkey.org Facebook:

Golden Key Region 3 Official Group

Do you want a space in our newsletter? Send us your leadership, service or professional event to [email protected].

You can also send any story that you want to share with our region that highlights one of our three pillars!

Upcoming Events

Item Due Date

Budget proposal submission window open in Billhighway Now through November 15

SPARK a Change Month October

Chapter Scholarship deadline November 1

Chapter Budget deadline November 15

Chapter Standards progress report deadline December 1

Regional Summit T-shirt design submission deadline December 11

Chapter Funding provided January 2015

New Orleans, LA February 27—March 1 2015

Gold Coast, Australia, International Summit July 16-19, 2015

https://www.goldenkey.org/media/39519/2014_chapter_scholarship_information___form.pdf

golden key regional newsletter ed.1 - oct 2014

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