By Eleanor Koh, Key Club International President, and Jerry Koh
Jerry Koh is the parent to current Key Club International President and St. Petersburg High School student Eleanor Koh. Both shared their experiences around Eleanor’s Key Club leadership role.
Eleanor: The summer before I started high school, my older brother Ethan brought me along to my first Key Club service project. It was our division’s annual Mad Hatter Tea Party, a birthday party for the underserved foster children in the area. That service project was not just an incredible opportunity to give back to my community, but it was also the beginning of my experience with Key Club, an organization that has been integral to both my high school experience and personal growth.
That glimpse into Key Club convinced me to join, and it remains the best decision I’ve ever made. I started as a member my freshman year when I joined my home club’s creative committee, and over the next few years grew through leadership roles – from district webmaster, then district governor of Florida’s 24,000-member district, and now, Key Club International President. In that time, Key Club taught me valuable lessons on dedication, persistence, and giving back to my community.
Throughout my Key Club journey, I have discovered there are so many opportunities for students to get involved and build community around themselves. You don’t have to take on an international leadership role or even become district governor to serve; all you need is passion, purpose, and the courage to act.
Looking back, I never would have imagined that a tea party would spark my love of service, introduce me to what are now some of my best friends, and lead me to a club that has taught me so much about leadership and who I want to be as a person.
Jerry: I remember that first afternoon differently than Eleanor does, but just as fondly. I didn’t know much about Key Club at the time. Candidly, I assumed it was just some kind of hobby club. But I soon learned the value it brought to both my kids and my community.
Looking back now, I’d tell any parent: you don’t need to fully understand what Key Club is before your child tries it. You just need to be willing to say yes to that first invitation, whether that means joining an existing chapter or helping your student start one at a school that doesn’t have one yet.
An important part of growing as a person is learning to roll with the punches that life gives out, and while Eleanor’s time at Key Club has been full of fun, there have also been times when she’s had to learn from loss. In fact, I remember one of these losses, when she ran against two of her friends for lieutenant governor, more vividly than most of her wins. She had put an incredible amount of time and effort into her campaign, and losing was a painful moment for her. But that loss helped her to understand the value of tenacity and determination, which have defined her term as Key Club International president and will continue to lead her to success for the rest of her life.
In the years since, I’ve seen Eleanor and her fellow Key Club members achieve some incredible things. They’ve coordinated huge, impactful service projects that have benefited communities across the world. At the same time, they’ve also developed essential leadership skills that many young people don’t learn until well into adulthood, things like scheduling meetings, setting agendas, project management, hosting workshops, public speaking, resolving conflict, and real-world problem-solving.
Throughout her time at Key Club, I’m proud to say that while Eleanor has grown so much as a person, she’s also remained grounded doing all of these amazing things while still having fun and just being a normal teenager. Despite leading an organization with over 200,000 members, she’s still close with her friends, still involved with her family, and still fundamentally the same “Ellie” whom we love.
That balance of personal growth while also remaining authentically oneself isn’t something high school students can find anywhere else, and it’s why I steer other parents towards Key Club.
Eleanor: As president of Key Club International, I get a lot of opportunities to speak with students who are interested in joining. On the surface, Key Club is a service and leadership organization. However, what I have learned is that, on a deeper level, Key Club is a place that listens to student voices and supports us way beyond high school. A large part of this comes after graduation, when Key Club members become part of the Key Club alumni network. This community offers great mentorship as students pursue their first job or internship or simply want to learn from those with more experience.
When asked “why Key Club?”, sometimes I talk about the lessons I’ve learned, or the friends I’ve made, or the impact we’ve had. But at the end of the day, I invite you to take a chance. Attend one meeting. Have one conversation. A single action can be the catalyst for a lifetime of memories and unlock possibilities you never expected. You can learn more at KeyClub.org. If you’re a parent wanting to learn more, you can visit Key Club’s new Parent Page.
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